Securing Europe, Silencing Dissent: The Southern Gas Corridor and External Legitimation in Autocratic Azerbaijan

What are the sources of external legitimacy for small states under conditions of a weakening international order? As the international system transforms, states must increasingly rely on novel strategies to secure recognition and influence. This thesis explores this broader intellectual problem by analyzing how small states actively construct international legitimacy, using Azerbaijan’s relations with the European Union as a primary case study. Specifically, the research investigates how Azerbaijan operationalizes energy diplomacy, institutional lobbying, and nation-branding to cultivate recognition as a "reliable partner" among European actors. This study argues that external legitimacy is not a passive attribute, but an actively constructed social reality built upon social recognition and continuous discursive justification. To analyze this process, the thesis employs a detailed evaluatory matrix mapping the specific actors, mechanisms, and outcomes of these legitimation strategies. The analysis is applied to three distinct mechanisms of Azerbaijani diplomacy: the strategic deployment of the Southern Gas Corridor, institutional engagement within the Council of Europe, and the use of mega-events such as the COP29 climate summit. By systematically evaluating these cases, the research identifies how material resources are combined with communicative action (branding) to generate normative acceptance. Ultimately, the thesis demonstrates how these carefully calibrated strategies successfully influence European institutional behavior, allowing a small state to secure high-level external legitimacy and navigate the shifting priorities of the European Union.