The Breakup of Civil Society in Post–War Azerbaijan

In the backdrop of devastating war(s) between Armenia and Azerbaijan, rising authoritarianism in the country and the shrinking space for civic participation, Azerbaijan’s civil society has undergone various moments of contestation and transformation. In this article, we argue that the 2020 Karabakh war was one of those moments – a turning point which led to the rupture, if not breakup, of civil society from within. Most of the civil society strongly supported the war, exceptionally aligning itself with the autocratic government. A minority – made up of liberals, leftists and feminists – opposed the war, becoming stigmatised as “traitors” by society and the government alike. We argue that the 2020 Karabakh war catalysed disagreements within the civil society regarding its identity, normative role and positionality vis-à-vis the state, eventually leading to its fragmentation into mutually isolated circles. No scholarly article has yet analysed in depth these post–2020 developments of Azerbaijani civil society. The article is based on semi-structured interviews collected from forty-three anti-war activists. Notably, we find that “no–war” civil society actors began to view the pro-war actors as less legitimate, if not illegitimate, members of the society. Having (in)directly supported the autocratic regime and further autocratisation, they failed to play their role qua civil society as counterbalance to the state. We conclude by discussing government’s recent reaction to these developments, especially in light of the ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.