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JohnyCakes

Peace in the Caucasus

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, much of the territories and former Soviet states have been ground zero for ethnic and ideological conflict. This is especially evident in Ukraine and the Caucasus. Most Americans are well aware of the conflict that arose between the Russian Federation and Ukraine over the Crimean Peninsula as it has been a hot bed of American politics. How should the U.S. and NATO aid Ukraine from Russian aggression? How have American politicians crossed the line in aiding an ally? What happened with Burisma? These are several of the key questions that we are asking that tie into the conflicts of those former Soviet states. Yet we seem to miss the bulk of the other conflicts that do not directly tie in the Russian Federation and the Kremlin. What about the Caucasus?


The main countries in the Caucasus mountain region are Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and even a sliver of the Russian Federation. With Russia to the north and Turkey and Iran to the south, the Caucasus is a land full of conflict, primarily ethnic in origin. This is where we come to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Nagorno-Karabakh is a home primarily to Armenians but is recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The various ethnic-land disputes between the two states have been off and on due to Russian influence in the region that brought cohabitation and uncertainty for the past century.


The former Soviet Union was able to instill this ceasefire from its formation until its last days. However, conflict restarted in 1988 after Karabahk Armenians voted in favor of secession from Azerbaijan and annexation to join their fellow Armenians. The war that began over this conflict culminated with mediation by the Minsk Group created specifically to ease the resolution. The Minsk Group features primarily the U.S., Russia, and France to lead negotiations while comprising several other nations in the region. Conflict continued leading to a climax of the blockade and massacre of Armenians between 1991 and 1992. The Armenians responded as such on the 26th of February 1992. 161 ethnic Azerbaijanis in Khojaly, Azerbaijan were killed during the Armenian infiltration of the city. Tense relations continued at the very least.


With more fighting occurring on and off between the 90s and today, regional powers were drawn into the conflict, notably the Russian Federation and Turkey. Turkey and Russia have seen strained relations, especially over Russia’s close relationship in Syria. The United States had been preoccupied over its own election. These circumstances lead to a precarious situation in the Caucasus. Earlier in November, the region saw some promise as Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to a ceasefire and oversight by Russian peacekeepers in a conclusion with Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pahinyan. This still leaves Armenia on uncertain terms as Turkey is more aligned with their ethnic brethren in Azerbaijan, and Armenia is forced to accept its separation from its people in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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