There’s a post-soviet conflict still going on in Europe.
And you might not have even heard about, because it fails to make mainstream media headlines
on a regular basis.
The conflict is centered around an autonomous region which is claimed by both Azerbaijan
and Armenia.
So I wanted look at how this conflict began and why it still hasn’t been resolved to
this day.
Hey guys, I’m Judah, this is NowThis World and today I’m going to break down the conflict
in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is one of Europe’s post-soviet “frozen wars.”
First, let’s go back in HISTORY to see where this conflict began.
Armenians and Turkic Azeris lived in this region in relative peace throughout the 19th
century.
But that eventually changed.
In the 1920s when the region was under Russian rule.
And pay attention, because this is where things get a little complicated.
After the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Soviet Union tightened its grip on the
area.
Under the leadership of USSR’s Joseph Stalin, borders were drawn and the Armenian and Azerbaijan
Soviet Socialist Republics were formed in 1921.
But Armenia wasn’t happy with where borders were drawn.
They believed the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh should have belonged to them, not Azerbaijan
whom the soviets gave the land too.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
The Soviets implemented a policy known as “divide and rule” in the area.
The policy was basically a way for the Soviets to create dissent between groups of people,
ensuring they fight each other instead of The USSR.
So in July 1923, the Soviets created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region inside of Azerbaijan’s
borders.
But here’s the thing, the soviets drew the borders so strategically that the inhabitants
were over 94% ethnically Armenian.
Over the next few decades tensions between the republics remained high, but out right
conflict was kept in check under Soviet rule.
But as time went on, the USSR would slowly begin to lose control of the area as it began
to collapse.
As the Soviets lost power, violence grew between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
And this brings us the Autonomous region’s fight for Independence.
In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh legislature passed a resolution to join Armenia, despite
being within Azerbaijan's borders.
The move caught Azerbaijan by surprise and caused tensions to escalate.
But after the Soviet Union Collapsed in 1991 the enclave officially declared de facto independence
from Azerbaijan.
It’s important to note here, that no international government recognizes the region as an independent
state, including Armenia, even though it remains its largest military and economic ally.
The enclave’s declaration of independence led to a full-scale war in 1992.
The conflict was brutal.
Some of the worst atrocities to happen included Azerbaijan's shelling and ground invasion
of the region, and a brutal massacre committed by Armenian forces that left almost 500 people
dead, mainly civilians
This war continued on for over two years.
It claimed lives of about 30,000 people and displaced nearly a million people until Russia
brokered a ceasefire in 1994.
The agreement left Nagorno-Karabakh and several Azeri areas around the enclave in the hands
of the Armenians.
Some of those areas DIRECTLY connect Armenia to the enclave.
By the end of the war nearly 700,000 ethnic Azeris were kicked out of these areas.
Today, while the ceasefire technically still stands, both Azerbaijan and Armenia remain
in an intense stalemate.
Resentment among all parties are still high -- Azerbaijan is still angry about lossing
land they claim is theirs, and Armenia shows absolutely no sign of being willing to give
it up anytime soon.
Even international efforts by the United States, Russia, and France have failed to bring a
permanent end to the dispute.
Both parties have been unwilling to budge to create a lasting peace, and both parties
have ALSO been responsible for escalating violence in the region.
In 2016, the 1994 ceasefire was violated in a military flare up that killed dozens of
soldiers on both sides.
And more recently, in 2017, Azerbaijan escalated tensions once more when it claimed to destroy
an Armenian air defence system in Nagorno-Karabakh.
As of now, it doesn’t really seem like either side is really serious about creating lasting
peace in the region.
So now that we’ve gone through a little bit of the history of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh,
what are some other conflicts or stories you’d like us to dive into next?
Let me know in the pinned comment below!
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