Leader of Azerbaijan, Coursework Example

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev’s Leadership Style

Ilham Aliyev is Azerbaijan’s fourth president as well as the Chairman of the New Azarbaijan Party. Mr. Aliyev served in various executive level leadership roles such as Vice President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, President of National Olympic Committee, and head of the Azarbaijan Delegation to the Council of Europe. Mr. Aliyev is the son of former Azarbaijan President Heydar Aliyev and served as a Prime Minister for two months before assuming Azarbaijan’s Presidency.

Personal Traits

Mr. Aliyev comes from a prominent political family and has shown a penchant for power. Mr. Aliyev didn’t abstain from demonstrating his absolute authority by imprisoning opposition members and violating national laws by holding presidency and a party affiliation simultaneously. Mr. Aliyev seems to exhibit confrontational behavior as is evidenced by his warlike statements against Armenia. The first impression about Mr. Aliyev is that of a reserved and quiet yet a dominating personality. If Mr. Aliyev’s background and life is any indicator, it’s safe to assume that Mr. Aliyev exhibit authoritative traits.

Mr. Aliyev’s friends describe him as an excellent negotiator and a very organized leader who has the ability to motivate his subordinates towards a common cause.  Mr. Aliyev has also been termed a very competitive and ambitious individual by his close friends who rave about Mr. Aliyev’s skills in poetry, billiard, and soccer.

Even though Mr. Aliyev lack the political acumen of his father, he does carry some of the charisma, his father and former Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev was famous for. A poll carried out earlier this month showed Mr. Aliyev’s approval rating at over 80% which means he has the backing of his people despite his dubious victory in the last elections. He enjoys a level of trust among his people that is even higher than the government, parliament, political parties, and even the courts.

Mr. Aliyev’s decision style according to VYJ Model

Mr. Aliyev demonstrates autocratic decision making style. Mr. Aliyev does have a close circle of associates but their roles are limited to advisory positions. Mr. Aliyev is famous for ruling the country with an iron hand and is not known for generous acceptance of criticism. Even though Mr. Aliyev claims to be a democratically elected President but the opposition and human rights organizations have accused the President for rigged elections. Mr. Aliyev’s leadership has often been compared to a communist regime.

Mr. Aliyev’s father Heydar Aliyev ruled Azarbaijan for almost three decades and Mr. Aliyev has vowed to maintain his father’s policies. Mr. Aliyev openly taunted his opponents that they have no chance of ever coming into power. Mr. Aliyev has a playboy past and many in the opposition accuse Mr. Aliyev of being out of touch with the plight of an ordinary. Mr. Aliyev has been quick to dismiss his opponents as a nuisance. Mr. Aliyev leads a lavish lifestyle and intense criticism has not dampened Mr. Aliyev’s penchant for showmanship.      

Leadership Behaviors exhibited by Mr. Aliyev

Even though Mr. Aliyev lacks the political acumen of his father who ruled the country for three decades, Mr. Aliyev seems to have inherited authoritative leadership behavioral traits from his father and has vowed to preserve his father’s policies. Mr. Aliyev has asserted that Aliyev Dynasty will be “in power forever”.  Mr. Aliyev’s Azerbaijan is rich in oil and the oil boom has given a much needed economic support to Azerbaijan’s economy. Mr. Aliyev has used some of the flush oil revenues to modernize Azerbaijan’s army.

When Mr. Aliyev succeeded his father, he kept in place most of his father’s political team, most of whom come from a military background. Mr. Aliyev approved generous oil deals with western multinationals despite heavy criticism and he has been known to seldom change his decisions in the face of political backlash except where high political stakes are involved. Mr. Aliyev has also shown some transformational leadership qualities.

Mr. Aliyev’s Leadership Style

Mr. Aliyev is considered a charismatic leader among his people. His leadership style has been transformational when it comes to improving Azarbaijan’s economy even though the benefits of oil boom have yet to reach most of the country’s ordinary people. Mr. Aliyev was the first Azeri leader to open his country to foreign investors despite heavy backlash and on his watch, Azarbaijan has gained greater political clout in the region due its rich oil resources. Inflation remains a challenge but Azarbaijan has enjoyed one of the highest real GDP growth rates in Asia over the last few years.

Even some opposition members credit Mr. Aliyev for keeping the country united in the aftermath of rigged elections when political unrest threatened nationwide social unrest. Despite Azerbaijan’s heavily concentrated Muslim population and anti-west sentiments, Mr. Aliyev has been successful in portraying Azerbaijan as a secular country in the eyes of the world though he dismisses his government’s record on human rights with hostility.

Mr. Aliyev comes from a business background with numerous executive leadership stints before his entry into the national politics. Mr. Aliyev’s tendency to break with national consensus on economic policies also point towards entrepreneurial elements in his leadership style. Mr. Aliyev’s transformational and entrepreneurial leadership style is truly a rare occurrence among authoritative political regimes with poor human rights record.