WHILE THE WORLD BATTLES WITH THE PANDEMIC, A WAR HAS ERUPTED IN THE CAUCASUS. AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA ARE AT IT AGAIN. HERE'S WHY.
Eternal rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan are currently engaged in a full-blown war in the extremely volatile region of Nagorno Karabakh. Powered by cutting edge military tech, the Azeri Army has initiated a blitzkrieg across the mountains. However, the mountains are a great barrier and as of now, it's a stalemate between the opposing armies
ETHNIC TROUBLES
Azerbaijan & Armenia were satellite states under Soviet Russia. However, all hell broke loose in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed stupendously.
Under the Iron curtain, all troubles within the union were under the control of the Kremlin. Hence, the ethnic issues plaguing the region were mostly subdued.
The present conflict began in 1988 when the Karabakh Armenians demanded that Karabakh be transferred from Soviet Azerbaijan to Soviet Armenia. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s.
At that time, the Armenians prevailed. They were better equipped, well lead as well as more motivated. Since then, the region has been under the auspices of Armenia.
THE DIPLOMATIC EQUATION
Russia has been the big brother of the region. Traditionally, it has supported Catholic Armenia supplying it with arms as well as weapons. However, the emergence of Azerbaijan as a major source of natural gas & oil has tilted Moscow slightly to the middle.
Azerbaijan on the other hand has heavily invested to upgrade its military between 2015 & 2019, coinciding with the rise in oil prices. Its main partners in the realm of weapons trading have been Israel & Russia who have been the main suppliers.
Turkey, in lieu of its recent bold military tact, has entered the conflict thumpingly in support of Islamic Azerbaijan. It has deployed Syrian mercenaries to fight against Armenia. Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants his nation to overthrow Saudi Arabia as the leader of the Islamic World. Hence, the plunge in the Caucasus.
The world has witnessed the development of a Geopolitical rift between Russia & Turkey. These nations have been on the opposing sides in Syria, Central Asia as well as in Pakistan. Tensions had flared up between these nations in the Black Sea when Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, breaking Turkish hegemony in the maritime region.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Wars are never good in any context. In the end, it is the people who suffer the most. The time is ripe for global powers to intervene and stop the bloodshed. America is embroiled in its internal dire straits. The UK is dealing with Brexit. India and China are battling COVID & economic woes. Can the EU finally take the mantle and assert leadership on the global stage? Time will tell.