Azerbaijan is stiff-arming the West over criticism of a crackdown on independent media. Baku’s toughening attitude creates potential complications for efforts to expand energy exports and trade via the developing middle corridor. The latest wave in the crackdown on the free flow of information broke on March 6 with the arrest of employees of Toplum TV. Two additional arrests were made three days later. The March 6 arrests occurred just hours after the German television network ARD aired a documentary alleging Azerbaijan’s involvement in buying influence among European and German politicians. T…