Armenophobia rages in Azerbaijan unabated. While this statement might be a foregone conclusion, the causes and effects of such an appalling phenomenon need to be critically understood.

Armenians are the perfect external enemy for Azerbaijani authorities who use the current situation to aim their propaganda machine in the necessary direction, falsify history and disseminate Armenophobia in their country. The Azerbaijani authorities are diligently working in this direction. The question is, why?

The image of an external enemy is usually created by the political elite in order to internally mobilize society and oppress existing domestic political powers and movements directed against the very same elite. A number of psychologists claim that in the face of real or alleged threat, the population displays obedience to the leader who has the status of the “father,” “protector,” or even of the “traditional leader.”

Azerbaijan is a classic example of such policies. All socio-economic relations in the country are directly reflected on the frontier, reminding Azerbaijani citizens that if not for Aliyev and his “entourage,” the “enemy,” the Armenians, would have slaughtered the Azerbaijani people in their homes. Children are taught this in fairy tales, adults are regularly instructed by mass media and officials.*

Undoubtedly, Armenophobia in Azerbaijani society is imposed by the authorities. Yet, it would be hard to impose such attitudes without fertile ground. For all intents and purposes, the Azerbaijani people are not opposed to “hate speech” and indulge in it with enviable diligence.

But how does such a mechanism work? Primarily the signal comes from the head of state, the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. To understand such an elaborate mechanism, some of the president’s official speeches over the last few years should be cited. The speeches are accessible on the official presidential website. However, for users with Armenian IP addresses, access to the website has been blocked. It seems the Azerbaijani side is not aware of the existence of VPNs and many other useful programs assisting in avoiding such a blockade and staying undetected.

The dissemination of Armenophobia looks like the following:

Excerpts from President Aliyev’s speeches: