Obama aide’s Azerbaijan jaunt spotlights autocrats’ GONGO fronts

Azeri human rights activist Emin Huseynov

Authoritarian regimes have become adept at creating government-organized NGOs as a “tool of choice for undemocratic governments to manage their domestic politics while appearing democratic.” Part of a concerted backlash against bona fide democratic actors, GONGOs also deflect attention and resources from genuine democratic actors, creating a misleading impression of a healthy civil society.

It is such an ersatz NGO that has embarrassed the architect of President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. David Plouffe is receiving flak for a trip to Azerbaijan under the auspices of the Association for Civil Society Development. The group, a “mouthpiece” of the country’s President Ilhan Aliyev, paid Plouffe $50,000 to give a lecture and arranged meetings with senior government officials.

Obama’s press office was at pains to emphasize that the trip was entirely a personal matter.  Plouffe was “not there at the behest of, and not delivering a message on behalf of, the president of the United States,” said press secretary Robert Gibbs. “If the president had a message for Azerbaijan, he’d pick up the phone. It’s a longer flight and a shorter call.”

Aliyev has been president of Azerbaijan since 2003, when he replaced his father, a former KGB agent, in a vote that suffered from “numerous, serious irregularities.” The authoritarian regime has been criticized for human rights abuses, and Baku recently announced new restrictions on international broadcasters, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the BBC.

Plouffe’s speech reportedly addressed the use of the Internet in elections and steered clear of the Azeri political issues. But after learning that the NGO paying for the speech was close to the regime, he announced that he would donate his fee to the National Democratic Institute. NDI has a track record of political party development, civic and election organizing, and enhancing women’s political participation in the oil-rich Caspian nation.

Azeri democrats and civil society groups welcomed his gesture, and some were quick to suggest deserving recipients for NDI’s assistance. It might do well to follow the advice of Emin Huseynov, chairman of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, who recommends that NDI donate $20,000 of the honorarium to the families of Azerbaijan’s wrongfully imprisoned journalists. All of these journalists were convicted on spurious criminal charges – another authoritarian tactical innovation to deflect accusations of political persecution – and their families are in grave financial difficulties:

Eynulla Fatullayev (terrorism and tax evasion), Sakit Zahidov (possession of a narcotic), Ganimat Zahid (hooliganism with infliction of minor bodily harm and Mushfig Huseynov (taking a bribe) were the sole breadwinners in their families. Sakit Zahidov has five children, Ganimat has four children, Mushfig Huseynov has two children and Eynulla Fatullayev was caring for his two elderly parents before he was imprisoned.