Baku's Dangerous Game: The US-Israel Proxy in the Caucasus
Al-Monitor, on March 2, 2026, published an article detailing how Azerbaijan stands to benefit, and potentially lose, from a war with Iran. The piece, framed around Baku cashing in on oil prices and Israeli demand, paints Azerbaijan as a shrewd, if slightly nervous, actor navigating a complex geopolitical landscape. This framing conveniently sidesteps the deeper, more unsettling reality of
Azerbaijan’s role, portraying it as a pragmatic nation rather than a direct participant in a joint US-Israeli campaign against a sovereign neighbor. What The Piaz finds missing from Al-Monitor’s analysis is the demonstrable pattern of Azerbaijan allowing its territory to be used as a staging ground for Israeli intelligence and military activities directed at Iran. This is not about 'neutrality' or
'benefit' from oil profits; it is about active complicity. For over a decade, reports have surfaced, and been largely ignored by mainstream Western outlets, of Israeli drones and surveillance equipment operating from Azerbaijani bases, targeting Iranian infrastructure and military sites. This goes far beyond mere 'demand' for oil or arms sales; it suggests a strategic alignment that fundamentally
undermines any pretense of non-involvement. The current situation mirrors historical patterns where smaller states are leveraged by larger powers to project influence, often with devastating consequences for the client state. Recall the US backing for Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War between 1980 and 1988, which saw Washington provide intelligence and even chemical weapon precursors to