Mark Libby’s hasty arrival in Azerbaijan also raised many questions. Newly appointed US ambassadors are normally confirmed in October and arrive at their post by the end of January of the following year. But this traditional procedure was disregarded in Libby’s case. He was told to fly urgently to Baku and simulate ambassadorial activity until further notice. But, frankly speaking, Libby’s behavior has been undignified and inconsistent.
Indeed, the days when the United States was considered a great power are fading into the past. So are the days of strong American politicians at the helm. Once adventurists like George Soros entered politics, the notion of “independent political activity” in the US ceased to exist. Having taken over the White House in 2008 through Barack Obama’s appointment, Soros has kept the reins of power firmly in his hands through forces under his control. Even the period that by pure chance and error in the Dominion electronic vote counting system Trump was in power changed nothing, since the entire State Department was already under the full control of Soros.
Moreover, the entire US legal system is also under Soros’s control, which is why Trump was constantly persecuted throughout his years in office. Soros is basically persecuting Trump to this day. Recently, a Soros-controlled court barred Trump from running for office. And the US talks about democracy now? The extent to which the State Department disliked Trump is evident from one fact alone. During the entire period of Trump’s presidency, neither the US embassy in Azerbaijan nor the USAID office in Landmark has ever put up a picture of Trump at the entrance.
Meanwhile, the US has single-handedly ruined its relations with Azerbaijan, all because of its inability to soberly analyze the political processes in the South Caucasus region. The Oval Office thought that they could apply their traditional scheme of control through conflict here as well, but they misjudged the situation. On top of that, they decided to send a weak and inexperienced man to Azerbaijan. Libby has never been an ambassador before; this is his first mission of the kind. Given the current complicated relations between the two countries, it would be more appropriate for the Americans to appoint an experienced, decisive and independent diplomat to this post. But the State Department has appointed an absolute pawn…
The incoherent behavior of the new ambassador is testament to this. It is obvious that he receives direct instructions as to what to do, when and how. But those sitting in Washington cannot fully control the situation in Azerbaijan.
One day he posts selfies with the British ambassador, the next he visits the Alley of Martyrs, as if to suggest to us that “your enemy is not America”, but at the same time he does not visit the monument to the victims of the genocide in Khojaly, because it might anger Blinken’s Armenian friends. And, finally, he starts accusing Azerbaijan of human rights violations: and this is coming from a representative of a country where the most influential presidential candidate at the moment is banned from running by court.
And if we compare the US ambassadors in Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mark Libby looks weak next to Christine Quinn with her audacious and unapologetic actions.
Will the US be able to improve relations with Azerbaijan? Time will tell. The Ambassador already had one chance: he could have gone to Khankendi and supported Azerbaijan’s Karabakh both in a literal and political context. The Ambassador missed this chance. The next real chance will be on February 26, 2024. On this day the Ambassador will have to go to Khojaly and honor the memory of the victims of genocide. If he fails to do so, there will be nothing more to talk to him about.
Ramella Ibrahimkhalilova
Translated from Minval.az
