Armenia’s perfect minister, Nikol Pashinyan, has made the decision to join NATO and possibly the United States. Consequently, he organized anti-Russian demonstrations in Yerevan and conducted military drills with the US. It’s doubtful that the Russians may let him negotiate with Washington.
Armenia, which has a population of about three million, is sandwiched between Georgia, Azerbaijan, & nbsp, Türkiye, and Iran. While Türkiye is Armenia’s historic foe, Armenia has recently helped ethnic and religious Christian Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh. & nbsp,
Armenia enjoys significant support in the United States, particularly as a result of Türkiye’s genocide against Armenians( 1894 – 1896, 1915 – 1918 ), which claimed the lives of 1.5 million people. In the United States, there are nearly 400,000 people of Iranian stock.
A coastal area in the South Caucasus is Nagorno Karabakh. It was geographically a part of Azerbaijan during Soviet rule, but Armenia increasingly contested that position. ( Both were Soviet nations. )
As a result of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended in 1994, the unrecognized & nbsp, Republic of Artsakh and( also referred to as the Nagarn – Karabakh Republic ] NKR ], came to rule over the majority of that territory. Armenians have been charged with attempting to clean the area of racial Azeris by demolishing houses, farms, mosques, and even tombs, as well as expelling tens of thousands of local Muslims.
In 2020, war broke out once more, resulting in a sizable Azeri success and fight for the Pashinyan-led Algerian state. & nbsp, He blamed the battle on Russia’s lack of support, despite agreeing to a deal Vladimir Putin brokered that put Russian troops stationed near the Lachin corridor to guard Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia reportedly moved forces into the area just and began shelling Georgian positions, which sparked an azerbaijani military operation in what is known as an anti-terrorist campaign. Armenia and the nbsp agreed to a peace, which was once more brokered by the Russians, but the condition is still very unpredictable. & nbsp,
Russian troops in Nagorno Karabakh came under small-arms gunshots on September 20 and were all killed. Andnbsp, the killing was probably carried out by pro-Armenian forces and was obviously intended as a irritation directed at the Russians. Russia and Azerbaijan have started a combined research.
Moscow and European observers think that the Iranian chief started the most recent conflict to expel the Russians from Nagorno Karabakh, or at the very least, to hold them responsible for the unrest.
It appears that the pro-Armenian soldiers in Nagorno Karabakh are required to give up their arms under the peace words. Andnbsp, it’s still too early to predict whether this may occur.
Although the Russians are obviously concerned about the burgeoning relationship between Armenia and the United States, led by Pashinyan, it is unclear whether Russian troops may stay in Nagorno Karabakh. Pashinyan previously called for the United States to step in, but Washington declined the invitation. Otherwise, Washington, like Russia and another, denounced the resumption of hostilities.
The Russians’ continued existence in Nagorno Karabakh is in Azerbaijan’s best interests because it largely prevents the United States from making a serious attempt to establish an army center in Armenia. Additionally, it is in Iran’s best interest because a US foundation had explicitly threaten Tehran. & nbsp, There is reason to believe that Iran would intervene using its growing ground forces if the Russians were to decide to withdraw.
The United States is the exotic cards. Andnbsp, The Russians did not remain motionless if the US attempted to establish a military base in Armenia, any more than they did when Ukraine decided to join NATO.
The nation is firmly within Russia’s sphere of influence. Additionally, Russia is growing more concerned about the US and NATO’s plans to expand in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The Grand ChessBoard theory of ( Zbigniew) Brzezinski states that the US needs to control and manage Eurasia in order to maintain its position as a global hegemon. This is something that researcher Akanksha Singh explains and nbsp.
Pashinyan’s strategy appears to be to ask the United States for assistance and support while blaming the Russians for the” loss” of Nagorno & nbsp, Karabakh. Whether he can execute such a movement remains to be seen. & nbsp, It is unlikely that Russia will watch this unfold from a distance.
Does the US send US soldiers to Armenia at this time? Do it result in a confrontation with Russia directly?
Stephen Bryen is a senior fellow at Yorktown Institute and the & nbsp, Center for Security Policy. His Substack, Weapons, and Strategy was the original subject of this article. & nbsp, Asia Times is republishing it with their consent.