Struggling for Attraction: Sources of Turkish and Iranian Soft Power in Azerbaijan

This article uses Joseph Nye’s soft power framework to identify and compare the sources of Turkish and Iranian soft power in Azerbaijan. The study makes three core arguments. First, there exists a growing gap between championed values and actual practices both in Türkiye and Iran. The democratic credentials of Turkish and Iranian political regimes have deteriorated continuously in the last 16 years, in connection with the stricter application of Islamic rules in Iran and government-led Islamization in Türkiye which may undercut their soft power in Azerbaijan. The second argument states that aware of the significance of resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh impasse for Azerbaijanis, Türkiye and Iran have endeavored to join in mediation efforts to break the deadlock. Lastly, the third argument maintains that Türkiye and Iran, although to different extents, make use of products of high and popular culture to appeal to the Azerbaijani public.