If nothing else, the start of President Donald J. Trump’s second administration can be described as active.
Through an unprecedented flurry of executive orders, Trump has aimed to cut federal spending, transform immigration policy, tighten control over independent government agencies, and strengthen America’s global standing.
From a foreign policy perspective, Trump is commonly associated with an "America First" mentality. However, some of his statements and actions indicate a different approach.
Whether it be his plan of a U.S. "take over" in the Gaza Strip, his designation of eight Latin American cartels as terrorist organizations, or his stern rhetoric toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there is one camp which believes Trump’s ideas are "crazy."
But another camp understands that he's implementing a broader strategy — seeking to extract leverage for the U.S. in global affairs and formulating outside-the-box solutions in attempts to solve chronic issues and regional conflicts.
President Trump’s grander plan cannot be, and will not be, solely based on the America First mindset. The U.S. also needs capable and reliable partners to deliver its desired outcomes and meet its ambitions on a global scale.
One crucial partner is Azerbaijan, the Eurasian nation that stands as a bulwark of stability in a chaotic region.
As the only country that shares borders with both Iran and Russia, Azerbaijan is a multifaceted strategic ally for the U.S. — both as a moderate Shi’a Muslim-majority nation in contrast to the radical regime in Tehran, and as the key player in the West’s objective to decrease European energy dependence on Moscow through the Baku-led Southern Gas Corridor triple pipeline project.
A stronger Azerbaijan means a stronger American position in the international arena — which is precisely why it is incumbent upon Washington to stand with its ally in the South Caucasus amid a severe threat posed by landmines.
Azerbaijan is among the most heavily mine-contaminated countries globally, with an estimated 1.5 million landmines and unknown number of explosive remnants of war (ERWs) contaminating more than 13% of the nation’s territories, presenting severe risks to civilians and hindering socioeconomic development.
From the end of Azerbaijan’s 2020 war with Armenia through 2024, a total of 230 landmine explosion incidents occurred in Azerbaijan, resulting in more than 383 victims (including those killed and injured) and underscoring the urgent need for mine clearance and victim assistance.
During the last 30 years — most of them occurring against the backdrop of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, Karabakh — the number of landmine victims in Azerbaijan has exceeded 3,400.
The conclusion of the 2020 war marked the start of an extensive humanitarian demining process to restore safety in the territories that Azerbaijan had liberated, facilitating the reconstruction of these areas and the safe return of formerly internally displaced persons (IDPs).
To date, foreign assistance has accounted for only 6% of the resources dedicated to this demining effort. That figure is notably low when considering the gravity of demining challenges Azerbaijan faces, and when compared to the contributions typically made by the international donor community to address similar crises in other countries.
Simultaneously, Armenia’s refusal to present accurate maps of the landmines that it planted on Azerbaijani territory during the three-decade-long occupation of Karabakh complicates the demining efforts and obstructs the return of 800,000 former IDPs to their homes.
For Azerbaijanis, the demining crisis means more than these statistics. It is highly personal. Take the story of Aytan Ismayilova, one of the first women deminers in Azerbaijan. In November 2023, she was accredited as one of 18 newly trained women deminers in a ceremony that featured the participation of high-level officials from the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, and ANAMA (the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan).
"I have never had regrets; I am stubborn, and I love to go all the way,” says Ismayilova. "It means I overcome every difficulty because I love my job."
Ismayilova lost her uncle during the 2020 war, while her cousin sustained injuries in a mine explosion. But she remains undeterred.
“When I first heard that ANAMA was hiring women deminers, I told my family I wanted to apply for the job,” she says. “My father supported me in this decision, others disagreed, and my mother did not want me to become a deminer because of the incident with my cousin. They thought I will quit it. When I was certified my mother shared that picture to express pride in me.”
The Mine Action Support Group (MASG) — a body of 27 nations, including the U.S., that coordinates the efforts of the world’s humanitarian mine action programs — convenes in Geneva later this year. While landmine problems in countries such as Ukraine and Cambodia typically receive more public attention, the U.S. currently possesses a crucial opportunity to advocate for prioritizing Azerbaijan’s landmine crisis as one of the top agenda items at the April 9-11 MASG meeting.
For Washington, the impetus to step up for Baku on the demining issue stems from a big-picture outlook on international relations.
Given Azerbaijan’s status as a capable and reliable partner in a region where such allies are exceedingly difficult to find, the U.S. should have all the motivation it needs to collaborate with Azerbaijan in solving this humanitarian crisis.
Paul Miller is a Chicago area political consultant. He is President of the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center. His commentary has been published in USA Today, New York Daily News, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and The Hill. Follow him on X and Tik Tok @pauliespoint. Read More of Miller's posts Here.