This paper examines the emergence and consolidation of the political regime in Azerbaijan (1993--present) in its early stages. The main questions are the following: When did the regime consolidate and what were the circumstances under which the process of consolidation took place? What were the major threats to the status quo? What type of authoritarian regime did emerge and what are its main characteristics?

The article applies the model of the clan-state / captured state on the case of Azerbaijan. It discusses the types and forms of informal political institutions in Azerbaijan and explains restructuring of the informal networks that has occurred after Ilham Aliev’s arrival to the presidential office. The core of the article are several mini case studies based mostly on an analysis of local media resources and a primary data collected during field researches conducted in 2006–2014. The article shows that Azerbaijan’s informal political structures based on clientelism and endemic corruption have de facto taken over the country’s formal political scene and using manipulated public tenders transfer a large proportion of oil rents to bank accounts of the ruling elite.

During the first decade of the 21st century, a remarkable phenomenon swept through the former Soviet Union changing the political, social and cultural landscape. Popularly known as the ‘Colour Revolutions’, these non-violent protests overthrew autocratic regimes in three post-soviet republics: the Georgian Rose Revolution (2003), the Ukrainian Orange Revolution (2004) and the Kyrgyzstani Tulip Revolution (2005). This book examines the significance of these regime-change processes for the post-soviet world in particular and for global politics in the 21st century. Engaging comprehensively with the former Soviet republics, the contributors to this book ask why there wasn’t a revolution in a post-Soviet republic such as Russia, despite apparently favourable conditions. They also explore the circumstances that ensured some post-soviet countries underwent a successful colour revolution whilst others did not. Identifying the conditions for successful colour revolutions, this book asks whether there is a revolutionary blueprint that may be exported to other areas around the world that are under autocratic rule. Carefully considering the ideologies of the post-Soviet ruling regimes, this book demonstrates the manner by which political elites integrated nationalism, authoritarianism and populism into public debates. It analyzes the diverse anti-regime movements, discussing the factors that led to the rise of such factions and outlining how these opposition groups were constituted and operated. In addition, it assesses the impact of external forces including the influence of the USA, the EU and Russia. By examining the colour revolution phenomenon in its entirety, this book marks a significant contribution to both our micro and macro understanding of this tide of transformation.