Azerbaijan Punches Above its Weight in Regional Geopolitics

Abstract

Throughout much of the post-Soviet era, Azerbaijan remained a territorially fragmented state, with roughly 20 percent of its internationally recognized lands under occupation of the neighboring Armenia and nearly 700,000 people forcibly displaced. During this period, Baku largely depended on the goodwill of major powers and international institutions to rectify the injustice. Peace negotiations mediated by international actors were repeatedly undermined by the Armenian side, whose leaders, backed by Russia – Yerevan’s military ally within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – disregarded international appeals, including four United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of occupying forces.