The Geopolitics of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict constitutes a key element in the arc of instability stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. However, since the ceasefire of 1994, the conflict, despite its geopolitical centrality, has been defined as ‘frozen’ and has therefore ceased to be of notable interest to Western policy-makers, media and the wider public. The de-facto neglect of the conflict in the West has occurred against the background of significant changes in its nature and in the policies of its major internal and external actors, which in turn have modified the trajectories for its possible settlement. The article examines the evolving agendas and policies of these actors and assesses the implications for them of the growing antagonism between the West and Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.