🕳️ Released Phantom Node 32: The Aliyev Family. Oil Monarchy

This project is a philosophical and artistic study of the phenomenon of "phantom nodes" — invisible yet influential objects and subjects in the contemporary global system. The descriptions contained within this study are metaphorical and allegorical, aimed at uncovering systemic problems, regimes, and civilisational influences. They are not a journalistic investigation or legal accusations, but serve as an artistic interpretation of reality.

Google

🕳️ Released Phantom Node 32: The Aliyev Family. Oil Monarchy

“Republic” is just a label. Power is a family enterprise

Under the Aliyevs, Azerbaijan transformed into a hereditary monarchy disguised as a republic.

Oil became not only the source of wealth — but the foundation of total control.

Heydar and Ilham Aliyev built a dynasty that fused itself with the state.

Node Type: Authoritarian Kleptocracy with Dynastic Rule

State: Phantom monarchy within a “republic” shell

Mechanism of hold: Propaganda, security apparatus, resource control

Image: A family that “grants stability” in exchange for total submission

Replaced phantom with: Public institutions, separation of powers, financial transparency

Core of the Node

Power transferred within the family

A personality cult of the regime’s founder

All key decisions run through the family

Oil-based economy tied to regime survival

Citizens — secondary to regime preservation

What held it in place?

Massive propaganda machine

Control over judiciary and law enforcement

Oil revenues legitimized the regime internationally

Suppression of dissent: arrests, censorship, banned media

Offshore channels and wealth management for ruling elites

How did it become a phantom?

Heydar Aliyev canonized as eternal “founding father”

Ilham serves as his visual and ideological continuation

The family itself became a political specter

Why does the phantom still exist?

Resource wealth removes pressure for reform

All branches of government are subordinated

Economic dependency disempowers the public

Foreign silence traded for oil and gas deals

Phantom’s Current State

Fully functional authoritarian system

All control structures intact

External critique is rare and selective

After the Regime

It hasn’t happened yet

But people keep records

And oil cannot conceal crimes forever

Collective Response

This is not a state. It’s a family corporation with an army and an anthem.

Guiding Principle

Resources are no excuse for repression. Oil is no justification for silence.

Alt-text:

Graphite-style portrait of Heydar and Ilham Aliyev in profile, set against an oil-industrial backdrop. Golden pipes, a drop-of-oil symbol, Soviet-style interior architecture, and metallic chains convey the feeling of a monarchic regime built on oil wealth. The tone is sepia and graphite, with horizontal elements representing the flow of power and resources.

#ReleasedPhantomNode #AliyevFamily #Azerbaijan #OilMonarchy #Authoritarianism #Kleptocracy #Nepotism #Propaganda #Censorship #PhantomPower #HereditaryRepublic #HeydarAliyev #IlhamAliyev #ResourceState #MediaControl #PostSoviet #PersonalityCult #FinancialNetworks #OffshoreWealth #JudicialCapture #RuleByForce #PhantomMonarchy #FamilyRule #HumanRights #NoReform #StateAsCorporation #ResourceCurse #PressFreedom #CitizensVoices #CrownlessMonarchy

Unmasking the Phantom. Pivtorak.Studio. 31.07.2025

https://www.instagram.com/pivtorak.studio

🛡️ This project is an artistic and philosophical exploration.

All descriptions are allegorical in nature.

🫧Phantom Node Dossier: The Aliyev Family. Oil Monarchy

Key Aspects of the Phantom:

"Oil Monarchy" (or "Kleptocracy through Dynastic Control"). This phantom symbolizes the transformation of state power into the private property of a single family. Power is inherited, and state resources, primarily oil and gas, are used for personal enrichment, maintaining power, and suppressing dissent. This node embodies the complete absence of a separation of powers, where all branches — executive, legislative, and judicial — are subordinate to one center.

Regimes (which they directly shape/support):

💰 Kleptocracy: A regime in which power is used for the systematic embezzlement of state wealth, redirecting it into private hands.

🟠 Dynastic Authoritarianism: A unique regime where autocracy is combined with the principles of a hereditary monarchy.

🗣️ Total Propaganda Control: Control over all media, which allows them to shape the desired reality and discredit any criticism.

⛓️ Corruption: Corruption becomes a systemic tool of governance, allowing them to buy the loyalty of elites and maintain a hierarchy.

Tools (which they actively use/oversee):

🛢️ State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR): The main tool for controlling the country's key resources and transferring them to private offshore accounts.

💸 Offshore Networks: The use of complex offshore structures to conceal personal wealth and conduct shadow financial operations.

🕵️ Security Forces: The use of police, special services, and the army to suppress protests, intimidate the opposition, and protect power.

🗣️ Censorship and Propaganda: Blocking independent media, persecuting journalists, and actively disseminating state narratives.

🗳️ Imitation of Democracy: Conducting elections that lack genuine competition, with the goal of creating a facade of legitimacy.

Civilizational Influences (which they embody/exploit):

⚖️ Cult of Lawlessness and Impunity: The activities of the Aliyev family show how the legal system can be completely subjugated to political interests, leading to a total disregard for the law.

🌐 Global Corruption: They are a prime example of how corruption penetrates international financial systems, creating a "corruption vertical" from Baku to European banks.

🧠 Manipulation and Control: They create a society where information and opinion are strictly controlled, leading to the degradation of civil society.

💔 Social Inequality: The use of state resources for personal enrichment leads to a huge gap between the elites and the general population.

🕊️ Threat to Regional Stability: While Azerbaijan may seem stable, its authoritarian regime and the absence of real conflict resolution mechanisms carry long-term risks for the region.

Dissection of a Phantom Node. Pivtorak.Studio. 31.07.2025

https://www.instagram.com/pivtorak.studio

🛡️ This project is an artistic and philosophical exploration.

All descriptions are allegorical in nature.