In the South Caucasus-Russia-West Triangle: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?
Once known as the region of "frozen conflicts," the South Caucasus is now an arena of ongoing violence, mass displacement, and geopolitical contestation. Azerbaijan has been on an ongoing offensive, most recently taking full control of Nagorno-Karabakh and leading to displacement of its entire Armenian population. The increasing chasms between Yerevan and Moscow on the one hand and between Tbilisi and the West on the other; the inaction of Russian peacekeepers and Azerbaijan's claim towards a status of regional power — all this aids to the renewed geopolitical contestation of the region.
We asked Areg Kochinyan, Zaur Shiriyev, and Laurence Broers to join us in discerning the strategies of global and regional powers, the policies of Yerevan and Baku against the backdrop of the escalating proxy conflict over the region, and what is on the table for the hundreds of thousands of displaced and others directly affected by the conflict. Further, we will attempt to outline how can concerned actors help mitigate further escalations or build the ground for a peace process.