Occasional Papers
Search
Vol. 1, No. 20 (November 15, 2008)
Azerbaijani students abroad: Preparing a national leadership for the next generation
As part of its effort to train a new generation of leaders, the Azerbaijani government supports many young Azerbaijanis who want to study abroad. Azerbaijan in the World talked to four students about their experiences abroad. Portions of some of their answers to seven questions as given below provide a portrait of this remarkable group of people ...
Read further
Integrating Azerbaijan’s higher educational system into European higher education area: Accomplishments, challenges and future prospects
The European Union has launched a process to create a European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010. This is to be achieved through international cooperation and academic exchange in the context of the so-called Bologna Declaration. The EHEA entails, among other key changes, the establishment of a three-level degree system - bachelor, master and doctorate, the introduction of standard quality assurance mechanisms, and the definition of a common system of qualifications and academic credits. The Bologna Declaration was signed by the ministers of education from 29 Europea...
Read further
Reforming higher education in Azerbaijan: Foreign models and domestic imperatives
After recovering its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan faced many challenges but none more important to its future and to the future of its citizens than the reform of its higher educational institutions. Reforming a higher education system is enormously difficult, invariably expensive and political. Azerbaijan brings to the task both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, the rapid growth of the country’s economy and Azerbaijan’s historical cosmopolitanism give it the resources and the willingness to explore new approaches. But on the other, the contin...
Read further
Military planning in CIS countries after Georgia: The challenges of change
Russia’s use of armed force in Georgia has created a new situation for national security planners in the post-Soviet states and adjoining countries. Prior to Moscow’s actions in August-September 2008, most governments in this region designed their militaries to serve as a symbol and integrator of statehood, to respond to internal challenges to their rule, or to be in a position to take part in peacekeeping operations for one or another international organisation. Those tasks continue to be important, and no government in this region is going to ignore them as it considers what ...
Read further