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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
2-1-2013
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
The fragile 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan is at high risk of breaking. If violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan were to resume, another war could have detrimental ramifications far beyond this region nestled between Europe and Central Asia. The Armenians and Azerbaijanis, two of the largest ethnic groups in the diverse South Caucasus, have not always been at odds, in fact, many members of both ethnic groups have engaged in warm and lasting business ventures and friendships. Nevertheless, since Armenian and Azerbaijani independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, national identities have emerged in both countries that encourage internal unity at the expense of regional partnerships with the other state. The Armenian and Azerbaijani dispute over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory has hindered diplomatic relations between the two young states. Skirmishes along the closed Armenia-Azerbaijan border are a regular occurrence and if the international community does not increase efforts to intervene and mediate the hostile relations between the two governments, all-out war could erupt for the second time in the past two decades. And this time, it would be much more deadly. The Azerbaijani government has made large investments in expanding their military capabilities and their military is now considerably stronger than that of Armenia. As the three most influential regional actors, Russia, Turkey and Iran all have some vested interests in maintaining the tenuous status quo. Thus to solve this conflict, it is imperative that mediation efforts give Armenians, Azerbaijanis and residents of Nagorno-Karabakh each a seat at the negotiating table. Representatives from all three territories must collaborate to improve relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan so that someday that can be strong regional partners.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/axq5-cn17
Mentor
James Wertsch
Recommended Citation
Ayanian, Katherine, "The South Caucasus at a Crossroads: Armenia and Azerbaijan’s Rocky Regional Relations" (2013). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 156.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/axq5-cn17
Comments
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