It is an unusual mix indeed. Deciding whom to befriend is one of the decisions one makes on that playground that will most greatly impact daily life — often, one’s entire future.
Many who possess weakness seek out the protection of the power brokers. This is also done regularly on the world stage. Rarely does one see the quiet kid show the guts to take on the biggest bullies.
I suppose this is why I have such enormous respect for the country of Azerbaijan, notably a secular and modern majority-Muslim nation."
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