Nagorno-Karabakh: Balancing Standards?

Abstract

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh—a mountainous enclave within the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan with a majority Armenian population—erupted into violence shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed and periodically threatens to do so again. It is one of Central Asia’s frozen conflicts, impacting both shortterm and longterm regional security within a volatile, oil-rich crossroads. Applying the theoretical framework developed in chapter 2, this chapter argues that the international community links democratic governance with the broader question of security as it addresses the self-determination claim. I argue that judging the democratic capacity of the claimant group is treated as an implicit component of comprehensive peace.

“Therefore the question is not a matter of either-or but how to make those two principles [self-determination and sovereignty] somewhat work together.” ¹