Includes maps of: Topographic Map of Azerbaijan; Administrative Map of Azerbaijan; Nakhchivan Exclave of Azerbaijan; Lines of Control in Armenian-Azerbaijan Conflict, May 1994; Caucasus Region; Oil and Gas Pipeline Infrastructure in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan before Soviet rule -- Soviet Azerbaijan -- The national revival and the road to independence -- The rise and fall of the Popular Front -- The Aliyev era : restoring stability -- Ilham Aliyev's Azerbaijan -- The shadow over Azerbaijan : Karabakh -- Politics and power in Azerbaijan -- Azerbaijan's economy : the primacy of oil -- Azerbaijani society : identity, modernity, and tradition -- Caucasus context : formulating foreign policy -- Iran and the "other" Azerbaijan -- Russia, the resurgent imperialist -- Turkey, best neighbor or big brother? -- Azerbaijan and the West -- Epilogue -- Biographical note.