Fierce battles continue in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that has killed at least 1,000 people, and possibly many more. The fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan threatens to destabilize the South Caucasus region, in what has been one of the world’s most protracted wars; three cease-fires have already collapsed since hostilities flared at the end of September.
This new dispute was sparked by three things. One, the Azerbaijani leadership believes that their country has reached the apex of its comparative military advantage in relation to Armenia. Secondly, the slump in oil prices resulting in social and economic decline. Finally, the fact that negotiations have reached a deadlock.
Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev adopted a maximalist position, demanding that the surrounding regions of Nagorno-Karabakh and Nagorno-Karabakh itself be returned to Azerbaijan. In return, the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, refused to agree.
While this spark of debate might not be the last, there is still many components to the real reason of this rivalry. We cannot grantee that this conflict will end without war or bloodshed, but hope for the best. For peace at last.
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