The Geopolitical Role of Water in the Former Armenia–Azerbaijan Conflict over Karabakh

Abstract

Water resources in the South Caucasus are unevenly distributed, and climate change, together with other anthropogenic pressures such as armed conflict, has intensified water-rela-ted challenges. While the former Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict has been widely studied, the role of water has remained comparatively understudied from a geopolitical perspective. This article examines how and why water, shaped by environmental conditions as well as socio-economic and cultural practices, functioned as a geopolitical factor in the former conflict over Karabakh. The analysis applies the French geopolitical reasoning approach developed by Yves Lacoste, fo-cusing on multi-scalar processes (local, national, and regional), identifying spatial sets, and com-paring competing territorial representations. The findings highlight the strategic importance of infrastructures such as the Sarsang reservoir, whose control and seasonal operation were closely tied to authority, security and representation. They also show how neighbouring powers, including Russia, Türkiye and Iran, shaped the opportunities and constraints for cooperation. Overall, the study demonstrates that water was not peripheral but an integral element of territorial rivalries and power strategies in the South Caucasus, situating Karabakh within wider hydropolitical dynamics.