The Complex History of Nagorno-Karabakh: A Geopolitical Flashpoint
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Nestled in the South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh—known to Armenians as Artsakh—has been a contested region for centuries. Its history is a tapestry of shifting empires, ethnic tensions, and geopolitical rivalries.
The earliest records of Nagorno-Karabakh trace back to the Kingdom of Urartu (9th–6th centuries BCE), followed by Armenian dynasties like the Artaxiad and Arsacid kingdoms. By the medieval era, the region became a cultural and political hub under Armenian princes, even as it faced invasions from Seljuk Turks, Mongols, and Persians.
From the 16th to 19th centuries, Nagorno-Karabakh oscillated between Persian and Ottoman control. The 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay handed the region to the Russian Empire, setting the stage for future ethnic tensions. The Russian census of 1897 recorded a majority Armenian population, but Azerbaijani (then referred to as "Tatar") communities were also significant.
The 20th century transformed Nagorno-Karabakh into a geopolitical powder keg.
In 1921, Joseph Stalin—then Commissar of Nationalities—arbitrarily placed Nagorno-Karabakh under the Azerbaijan SSR despite its Armenian majority. This decision, seen by many as a classic "divide and rule" tactic, sowed long-term discord.
As the Soviet Union weakened, Nagorno-Karabakh’s regional parliament voted in 1988 to join Armenia, sparking violent pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait and Baku. By 1991, full-scale war erupted between newly independent Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The conflict was brutal, with atrocities on both sides.
By 1994, Armenian forces secured not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding Azerbaijani districts, displacing hundreds of thousands. The region declared independence as the "Republic of Artsakh," though it remained unrecognized by the international community.
For decades, the status quo held, with occasional skirmishes. Azerbaijan, flush with oil wealth, rebuilt its military, while Armenia relied on its diaspora and Russian support.
The simmering tensions exploded in September 2020.
Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and Israeli drones, launched a devastating offensive. Armenia, outgunned, lost most of the occupied territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. A Russian-brokered ceasefire in November 2020 left Azerbaijan victorious but did not resolve the core issue.
In December 2022, Azerbaijan blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. By September 2023, after a lightning offensive, Azerbaijan regained full control, prompting a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians. Nearly the entire population fled, marking the end of Armenian presence in the region after millennia.
The conflict has far-reaching consequences.
Once the dominant power broker, Russia’s failure to protect Armenia has damaged its influence in the Caucasus. Meanwhile, Turkey and Israel’s support for Azerbaijan has reshaped regional alliances.
The U.S. and EU condemned Azerbaijan’s aggression but took little concrete action. Some analysts see this as a sign of waning Western commitment to the "rules-based order."
With Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population gone, Azerbaijan has achieved its goal of full territorial control. However, lingering resentment in Armenia and the potential for renewed conflict elsewhere (like Syunik) keep the region volatile.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s history is a stark reminder of how imperial legacies, nationalism, and great-power politics can devastate communities. Its story is far from over—but for now, the chapter of Armenian Artsakh has closed.