Democratization and the Conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh
by 2006 Fellow Tigran Mkrtchyan*
This essay explores the relationship between democratization in Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The author argues that the potential for conflict existed throughout Soviet times yet the quasi-democratization of the Soviet Union was instrumental in the breaking out of full fledged war. Though today, the conflict is an obstacle to democratization, the solution of the war in the long run also rests with democratization. These intertwined dynamics call for a long term vision of incremental democratization.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. The John Smith Memorial Trust expresses no views on the content of articles written by former Fellows but is pleased to be able to encourage debate on issues of the kind discussed in this article.
This article was first published in the Turkish Policy Quarterly Vol 6, No.3 (Fall 2007), "Europe's East: Changing Landscapes and Mindscapes in the Caucasus".
*Tigran Mkrtchyan is the Executive Director of the Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG) in Yerevan.
Autumn 2007