Month: February 2024

by

Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 136: Iran and the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War

Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 136: Iran and the South Caucasus after the Second Karabakh War

Special Editor: Nareg Seferian
Authors: Elaheh Koolaee, Ahmad Rashidi, Alexander Yeo, George Sanikidze, Nareg Seferian

The papers in this issue address the regional dynamics following the Second Karabakh War of 2020. Iran has found itself having more and more of a foot in the South Caucasus as a result. The prospects and modalities of the so-​called ‘Zangezur Corridor’ (a proposed land connection between Azerbaijan proper and its exclave of Nakhchivan/Nakhichevan) include economic, geopolitical, strategic, cultural, and ideological components, perceived in various ways in Baku and Yerevan, in Tbilisi and Tehran. Besides the security outcomes and aftermaths since 2020, the contributions in this issue also take on historical developments and how they impact current bilateral ties.

access the issue

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenians and Their Neighbors

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Armenians and Their Neighbors

In my previous articles delving into photographs from the ARF Archives, we saw some familiar and unfamiliar visuals from our history and culture over the past century and more. One clear takeaway is that the Armenian people have never lived in a vacuum. Empires have passed over the lands where Armenians have lived. Large-scale conflicts have reverberated among the Armenian people, not least of which the Genocide during the First World War. Armenians themselves have also participated in and helped shape fashions and trends around them – including, not coincidentally, the spread of photography in the Middle East.

Unsurprisingly, then, there are subjects among the photographs in the archives outside of exclusively Armenian circles.

read the rest

by

Report in Short: A “Frozen Conflict” Boils Over

Report in Short: A “Frozen Conflict” Boils Over

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijani forces initiated a massive attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-populated and effectively self-governing region inside internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory. Within 24 hours, the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership gave in, and, for the first time, Baku could claim full control over the contested territory. Despite being portrayed in the West as a “frozen conflict,” there had long been a risk of renewed violence in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this episode of Report in Short, Walter Landgraf and Nareg Seferian join Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss their recent report “A ‘Frozen Conflict’ Boils Over: Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and Future Implications.

listen to the podcast

by

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Pains of the Past

Glimpses into the ARF Photo Archives: Pains of the Past

In my previous look into photographs from the ARF archives, I pointed out two things: first, there is a lack of information on many items in the collection – inviting you all to contribute, if you can – and, second, men (and their mustaches) dominate many of the images.

This time, it is worth taking a look into more solemn reminders of Armenian history and culture from the past century and a half or so.

read the rest