In recent years political regime literature primarily discussed democratization prospects. Efficiency of democratization tools was in focus. Less attention was paid to how non-democratic regimes adjust to an increasingly democracy demanding international environment. Grasping strategies of coping with democratization pressure and internalising formal democratic institutions is, however, crucial for assessing authoritarian regime stability and scope of external democracy promotion. Given that theory only weakly focussed on internal authoritarian regime mechanisms, heuristic empirical studies are required for exploring these questions. This paper examines non-coercive mechanisms in Azerbaijan which limit regime destabilizing effects of an international democracy promoting environment. Azerbaijan is scientifically interesting given its ‘relative openness’ to democracy promotion and is as international energy actor politically relevant. Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime is based on a formally democratic constitution. Depending on Western investments in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas exploration the country became target democracy promotion. A necessary engine for Azerbaijan’s economic growth is the extensive reliance on training young elites in West universities where certain socialization with democratic norms can be expected. Nevertheless, the president’s increasingly severe authoritarian rule is substantially supported. How is authoritarian rule preserved and democracy pressure coped with? What are the anchors of regime support? The paper aims at mapping the function of core democratic institutions like the parliament in Azerbaijan and the perception of democratic and authoritarian rule as expressed by members of the political elite in order to exemplify how democratic institutions are internalised in the authoritarian rule and indicate mechanism that reduce democracy claims from elites. I argue that regime stability relies strongly on the ‘frozen’ secessionist conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh on Azerbaijani territory. The instrumentalised narrative concerning the conflict is a core instrument for preventing impact of formal democratic institutions, democracy promotion measures and democratic socialization. State officials’ socialization with democratic norms improves Azerbaijan’s capacity to attract Western support. The paper is based on the author’s research in Baku in 2011.
