Abulfaz Elchibey vs Alfred Milner

Abulfaz Elchibey was elected President of Azerbaijan in a democratic election, winning 59.4% of the vote. He was a nationalist leader of the Azerbaijani Popular Front and promised to pursue independence from Russian influence and resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Elchibey pursued a pro-Western foreign policy, seeking closer ties with Turkey and the United States while distancing Azerbaijan from Russia. He signed agreements on energy cooperation and military aid, but this policy alienated Moscow and contributed to internal instability.

During Elchibey's presidency, Armenian forces captured the city of Agdam and other territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. These military defeats weakened his government and contributed to his overthrow, as he was unable to protect Azerbaijani territorial integrity.

Elchibey was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Surat Huseynov, who marched on Baku with his forces. The coup was triggered by military defeats in Nagorno-Karabakh and political instability, forcing Elchibey to flee to his home region of Nakhchivan.

Milner was appointed High Commissioner for South Africa and Governor of the Cape Colony. His aggressive policies toward the Boer republics, including demands for voting rights for British expatriates, escalated tensions leading to the Second Boer War.

Milner assembled a group of young British administrators, known as the 'Milner Kindergarten,' to reconstruct South Africa after the Boer War. They implemented policies promoting British immigration and economic development, influencing the Union of South Africa's formation.

Milner was a key British negotiator in the treaty that ended the Second Boer War. The treaty annexed the Boer republics into the British Empire but granted them self-government later, shaping South Africa's future union.