Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Examining the Roots and Potential Solutions

This research paper delves into the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a territorial and ethnic dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia with roots in the Soviet era. The author, with personal ties to the region, highlights the conflict's significance and the need for a resolution, emphasizing its impact on civilian lives and regional stability. The paper traces the conflict's evolution from a local issue to a regional concern, involving global powers like Russia, Turkey, and Iran. It uses the A.R.I.A. model to analyze potential solutions, acknowledging the failure of past mediation efforts and the ongoing tensions. The research underscores the importance of resolving the conflict to prevent further loss of life and foster regional development. The author emphasizes the unresolved nature of the conflict and its implications for various communities, as well as the geopolitical interests of multiple nations. The paper considers the conflict's potential to escalate into a global crisis, particularly given the shifting influence of major powers in the region, with the USA and NATO seeking to exert pressure on Russia. References are provided to support the research. The research paper emphasizes the importance of this unresolved conflict.

Running head: NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Authors note:

1NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
The thirty-year-old Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is considered as a unique conflict
which has transformed itself from a mere local conflict to a dominant local issue. It is said
that the Nagorno-Karabakh war has transformed the joyous city of 40,000 people possessing
fancy buildings and Soviet high-rises to a desert town where nearly sixty-thousands people
lost their lives. This problem of Nagorno-Karabakh has its root in the year 1920 when the
government of soviet establish the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh. In this region,
nearly ninety-five per cent of the population was ethnically Armenian surrounded by
Azerbaijan. During Bolshevik rule, the fighting was monitored; however, with the
disintegration of the Soviet Union, the grip was lost in the region. The legislature of the
Nagorno-Karabakh approved a resolution in the year 1988 which state that they will join
Armenia in spite of the proper location of the region lying within borders of Azerbaijan.
Through the official breakdown of the soviet union in 1991, they changed their status from
the autonomous to independent region. The decision caused a war with roughly 30,000
causalities and thousands of refugees (Baumann et al. 2015). This region has recently gained
attention as the tension in the region has escalated after the violence of 2016. The effort put
forwarded by the Minsk Group to resolve the tension have failed. The Armenian and the
Azerbaijani forces are positioned close to each other and do not have any communication
with them; therefore, there is a high chance of intense escalation between them (Shiriyev
2017). In 2017 the president of both the groups that is Armenia and Azerbaijan held a
meeting in Geneva (Kopecek, Hoch and Baar 2016). Lead by the Minsk group a mediation
talk was initiated on the possible talk of the settlement. Hundreds of death have been caused
in the territory due to the minor skirmishes and artillery shelling between Armenian and
Azerbaijani troops over the years (Koehler and Zürcher 2018). The topic is very close to me
as I belong to the Azerbaijan and from Qubadli which is one of the seven surrounding
districts. My paternal family belongs from Qubadli and I need to make this problem

2NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
highlighted through the research as though the problem is crucial, it has not gained
worldwide attention. The research paper focuses on the unresolved issue of the Nagorno-
Karabakh region besides finding the root cause of the problem and tries to examine the
problem to state a solution for the dispute. In this research paper A.R.I.A model will be used
to explore how this long conflict can be resolved so that international peace can be served.
The research is important as this issue still now is unresolved post soviet conflict. Not only
the varied interest of several communities like Azerbaijan and Armenia is depended on the
fate of the conflict but the regional stability as well as political and security concerns of
several global powers like Russia, Turkey and Iran is involved with the issue. The issue of
Nagorno-Karabakh region is significant for the present time as it has and can hamper civilian
lives and can slow down the growth and development of the region so a solution is urgently
needed to resolve the conflict.
Nagorno – Karabakh conflict
is regarded as a unique
conflict which has been
turned from an insignificant
local
conflict into an important
regional war. Of course, it
should be noted that
although the conflict has
remained at

3NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
regional level, it has the
capacity to be turned into a
global crisis. It should be kept
in mind that the Russian
Federation is losing its
influence in the Caucasus
region and the United States
of America is seeking to
reduce
the influence of Russia in the
Caucasus region. The
approach taken by western
countries, U.S. and NATO
(North
Atlantic Treaty Organization)
is to interfere and enter
Russia’s backyard exerting
pressure to Russian
Federation.

4NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
Accordingly, every change in
the structure of the region
can put Caucasus region
available to U.S. and NATO
and can also strengthen the
stance of the U.S. and its
regional allies i.e. Turkey and
Israel. Given the above issue,
regional situation can lead to
weakening the status of
Russia and Iran in the region.
(Ahmadian, 201Since the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,
one of the unresolved post-Soviet conflict, is critical not only to the vital
interests of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, but also to regional
stability and both the political and security concerns of the Russian Federation,
Turkey, Iran, the EU and the USA.

5NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
References
Baumann, M., Radeloff, V.C., Avedian, V. and Kuemmerle, T., 2015. Land-use change in the
Caucasus during and after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Regional environmental
change, 15(8), pp.1703-1716.
Koehler, J. and Zürcher, C., 2018. The art of losing the state: weak empire to weak nation-
state around Nagorno-Karabakh. In Potentials of disorder. Manchester University Press.
Kopecek, V., Hoch, T. and Baar, V., 2016. Conflict transformation and civil society: The
case of Nagorno-Karabakh. Europe-Asia Studies, 68(3), pp.441-459.
Shiriyev, Z., 2017. The „Four-Day War “Changing Paradigms in the Nagorno-Karabakh
Conflict. Turkish Policy Quarterly, 15(4), pp.52-58.