The thousands of Europeans who descended on Azerbaijan this week for tomorrow’s finals of the Eurovision Song Contest are likely to suffer from one of two common caricatures of the host country.
Those who know Azerbaijan mainly from elegant commercials on CNN will see in the capital, Baku, a city booming on the fruits of oil wealth and graced with a stunning promenade along a turquoise sea. Common men fish from yachts, and angelic beauties stroll through the mysterious old city.
