Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan

The Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM) is Azerbaijan’s first governmental, non-profit think tank founded on November 12, 2007 by the Decree of the President, Ilham Aliyev. Its headquarters is in Baku, Azerbaijan. In February 2008, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Elkhan Nuriyev was appointed director of the Center for Strategic Studies, known by the acronym SAM in Azerbaijani language.

Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan

Mission statement

As a research and policy recommending institution dedicated to innovative studies on national, regional and international issues, SAM provides an intellectual forum for international dialogue to bring different views together with the aim of contributing towards the formation of a common ground. The mission of SAM is to promote collaborative research, enhance the strategic debate and provide decision-makers with high-quality analysis and innovative proposals for action.

Purpose

SAM was established with the purpose of implementing the coordination of strategic studies carried out in Azerbaijan and also providing scientific-analytical information to high-ranking public administration bodies within the Government of Azerbaijan. The objective of SAM is to produce the most up-to-date and accurate analyses in the fields of politics, economics and security; and to inform policy makers and the public on political, economic, security and development challenges.

Research focus

The main activities of SAM are to observe and analyze the most important directions of domestic and foreign policy, examine geopolitical events and international problems, make forecasts on future developments and research the factors which could influence relevant processes. Through publications, brainstorming meetings, conferences and policy recommendations, SAM conducts rigorous research with a forward-looking policy orientation, thus bringing new perspectives to strategic discussions and contributing to the informed decision making mechanisms in Azerbaijan. Taking account of all these duties, SAM prepares various programs, theories and doctrines corresponding to Azerbaijan's state interests and national security.

Departments

The Center for Strategic Studies is divided into main departments that help to carry out its objectives.

Domestic Policy Analysis Department

This department conducts scientific and conceptual research on the domestic policies of the country, mechanisms for their implementation, existing problems in this area and their possible solution. The department conducts scientific research to determine, ensure and protect the social interests of Azerbaijan, and identifies important aspects of fundamental reforms within the country, studies the behavioral course of domestic political forces and the possible impact of these processes on the country's development.

Foreign Policy Analysis Department

The department studies and conducts research on fundamental transformations happening within the framework of the international relations system, tracing the course of political behavior in the regional and political area and identifying the possible effects of these processes on the country. The department also deals with scientific and theoretical research on the foreign politics of the country, mechanisms for its implementation and existing problems in this sphere.

Economic Analysis and Global Affairs Department

The main activity of the department is to monitor all events and trends in the Azerbaijani and global economy, carry out thorough research, analyze and make possible solutions and recommendations based on the results of conducted research. The research activity of the department is carried out several directions. They include: observation and analysis of economic processes in the country and on the international arena, as well as factors that assist Azerbaijan and other countries in the world develop economically. The aim of the department is to investigate factors that may affect economic processes, and on the basis of these studies, prepare various programs, theories and analytical documents.

International partners

Activities

Over the past period, the SAM has prepared and presented a number of proposals and programs concerning public, political and economic processes in Azerbaijan as well as on the international arena. The priority directions for the activities of the center, and in particular the research of the SAM are the internal and external policy of the state, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the strategy of Azerbaijan regarding energy, oil and gas, the country's development at the economic and political levels, as well as the country's security issues.

International conferences, exhibitions, seminars and round tables also play an important role in the activities of the center. Thus, the following activities were carried out: "Security Barriers in the South Caucasus", "Azerbaijan and the Eastern Partnership", "Cyber and National Security", "Climate Change and Renewable Energy Sources in the Black Sea Region." In April 2012, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.[1]

In addition, the staff of the center participate in various foreign events, conferences and scientific forums.[2] For example, a member of Foreign Policy Analysis Department, Azad Garibov participated at a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Ukraine held on December 5–6, 2013. He also participated in the 20th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, the preparatory meeting of the Council, as well as at its plenary meeting. The SAM expert represented Azerbaijan in the process of discussion of "Helsinki +40" , which was devoted to the participation of the modern think tanks in the work of the OSCE.[3]

The Center also invites world-famous politicians and experts as guests or speakers to their events.[4] For example, Secretary of the US Secretary Richard Morningstar, President of Stratford Analytical Corporation George Friedman, Vice President of The Kohen Group Mark Grosman, Heritage Foundation expert Ariel Cohen, expert from the European Policy Center Amanda Paul, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Russia in global policy" F. Lukyanov, Director of the Center for Energy, Maritime Transport and Public Policy at Columbia University Albert Bressand, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Foreign Ministry of Turkey Bulent Araz, doctor of the faculty politically Sciences of the University of Haifa Brenda Shaffer, President of the Jamestown Foundation Glen Howard, French Senator Nathalie Goulet et al. visited the Center for Strategic Studies under the Azerbaijani President.[5]

Publications

As a result of its research and analysis, the SAM publishes journals and articles in both Azerbaijani and Russian and English. Such publications as "Azerbaijan Focus", "Strateji təhlil" (Eng. Strategic Analysis), "Analitik Baxış" (Eng. Analytical Outlook), "SAM-ın Icmalı" (Eng. SAM Review), "SAM-ın Şərhləri" (Eng. SAM Comments) and Caucasus International are provided to the public by the CSI along with political analyzes and forecasts from local and foreign experts.[6] In 2016, one of the issues of the "SAM Comments" magazine, was devoted to the increase in the importance of the role of the OSCE. The issue named "The OSCE failure: from the regional security organization to the political tool", developed by the leading research officer of the Center for Contemporary Art, Kamal Makili-Aliyev, is discussing a number of topics, including the formation and development of the OSCE; peculiarities of institutional problems and factors that led to the failure of the OSCE as a regional security organization.[3]

Azerbaijan Focus: Journal of International Affairs is a publication of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan Focus is published in the Azerbaijani and English languages and is dedicated to analyzing modern processes underway in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the wider Black Sea-Caspian basin. The Editorial Council of the journal comprises Azerbaijani and foreign statesmen, renowned scholars of world politics and international expert opinion. The contributing authors include the most prominent Azerbaijani and foreign policymakers and leading experts in government, business and academic circles who are very familiar with the history and politics of the region.

Upcoming projects

The South Caucasus 2021 is a book project underway for future publication based on the political, social and economic status of the South Caucasus in the upcoming decade.

Funding

SAM is funded by the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Website

Sam.gov.az

References
  1. "Monthly IPRI Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 10" (PDF).
  2. "Delegation Azerbaijan`s Center for Strategic Studies visits US".
  3. "Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku". OSCE Network.
  4. "CIRS Delegation Visits the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan (SAM)". Center for International and Regional Studies. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30.
  5. "Centre for Strategic Studies realizes exchange program with Stratfor Global Intelligence Company".
  6. "Journals". Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
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