Azerbaijan - a nation of Turkic Muslims - has been an
independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite a cease-fire, in place since 1994, Azerbaijan has yet to
resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has
lost almost 20% of its territory and must support some 750,000
refugees as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the
promise of wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.