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Updated Resources - October 4, 2023
Azerbaijani protesters and Russian peacekeepers during the 2022 blockade of the Lachin corridor. (Aykhan Zayedzadeh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Azerbaijani protesters and Russian peacekeepers during the 2022 blockade of the Lachin corridor. (Aykhan Zayedzadeh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
EUMA monitors within Armenia looking at Azerbaijan's military checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor and the blocked humanitarian convoy of trucks that was sent to Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. July 26 2023. (EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA), an entity of the European-Commission, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
Across the Black Sea from Ukraine, a thirty-five year struggle between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupts over the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh (also called The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). In recent weeks, a resurgence of media focus on the disputed region has induced questions about the fate of Russia’s sphere of influence in the region as Russian resources and attention remain heavily committed to the invasion of Ukraine. In today’s resource update we offer insight into the South Caucasus conflict, exploring its ramifications for regional stability, what it may indicate in the global balance of power, and more.
Meduza’s overview offers context dating from Soviet times to the present, tying in tensions between Russia and the West, and exploring the failures of global diplomacy in averting the current crisis. In two more pieces, the publication delves into Russian peacekeeping efforts in the region and the fatalities they’ve suffered at the alleged hands of Azerbiajiani troops. The Moscow Times reports on the official rhetoric exchanged between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Russian Foreign Ministry amidst the former’s stated foreign policy shift away from Russia. Meduza further covers the Kremlin’s media guidelines for Russian press covering the events in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Insider and The Moscow Times focus on the humanity ensnared within the fighting, reporting from the front lines of the refugee exodus where some displaced ethnic-Armenians feel a sense of Russian abandonment and others lay their betrayal at Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan’s doorstep. Meduza takes the temperature within Armenia where mass protests erupted last week blaming the Prime Minister for failing to prevent the dissolution of Artsakh and volunteers attempt to aid the deluge of refugees.
Finally we take a step back to meditate on the greater geopolitical ramifications. Carnegie examines the dissolution’s effect on peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus and goes on to explore the destabilizing effect in the region that could see a shift in power away from Russia and towards Turkey. Another Carnegie piece argues that Azerbaijan’s role as a transportation hub should not temper a strong EU response. The Conversation relays the US response to the dissolution, revealing concerns that Baku’s use of force may validate the notion that ‘might makes right,’ and highlighting Moscow and Washington’s pre-Ukraine War collaboration in seeking a resolution for the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. A piece from Foreign Affairs points the finger at Western inaction.
With an eye on Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent examines what Slovakia’s recent parliamentary election signifies for the Ukraine War, Meduza reveals a Ukrainian design team’s vision for reconstruction, and the Wilson Center highlights the importance of rebuilding Ukraine’s higher education for postwar health.
In the overview where readers can find contextual and historical resources, a backgrounder on the Belarusian-Russian alliance and another piece that explores the role of 'justice' within peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. In the arts, a contemporary Ukrainian opera centers around five ideas - ‘Home,’ ‘Ancestry,’ ‘Love,’ ‘Steppe,’ and ‘Iron-Heart’ - and Amsterdam shines a spotlight on the arts and music of Russia’s indigenous peoples.
Find these stories and more in today’s resource update.
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