احد پاشالو

National space and existing human and natural geographical values in each country are the creating factors of tension and conflict within the milieu of that country, especially with neighboring countries that may have potential and actual effects on geopolitical relationships of that country with its neighbors. Using a 12 – trigger hypothetica model, Peter Haggett, the famous English geographer, has represented the geographic sources of tension contributing to the conflict of that country with others. Depending on a country’s geographical situation and the functionality of natural factors and human operations, these sources of tension can play a role in creating crisis at national and supranational (macro regional) scales. If proper management fails, the geographic sources of tension can not only overwhelm the country’s capabilities to reinforce general politics of the country, but also falsify the relations and ties of a political unit with other neighboring political units. Hence, the role of geographical factors and values should not be considered as neutral, null and void in international relations and in the emergence of geopolitical challenges and crises. As the most important country in the Southern Caucasia, ‘The Republic of Azerbaijan’, like any other political unit, has a series of geographic sources of tension with neighboring and other countries and this is no exception. Naturally, the geographical grounds of conflict involve in determining the level of foreign relations and policy and without doubt, recognizing these factors contribute to reducing this country’s problems and tensions in the region both intrinsically and extrinsically and particularly with its neighbors as well as with Iran. Accordingly, the current study, using descriptive-analytical method, attempts to answer this question ‘if geographic sources of international tension of the Republic of Azerbaijan fully conform to Peter Haggett’s 12 - trigger hypothetica model’. According to research findings, from among twelve triggers which Haggett called geographic sources of tension, six triggers can be obviously observed in Azerbaijan and the remaining six ceased to prove true in this country. Meanwhile there is a series of geographic factors creating tension in geopolitical relations of this country about which nothing is mentioned in Haggett’s model, the differences and conformities of geographical factors of conflict with the facts and realities of the Republic of Azerbaijan are reflected on various maps.