RIGHT OF RETURN OF THE ARMENIANS OF ARTSAKH (NAGORNO-KARABAKH)
Yeghia Tashjian, MA; Nareg Seferian, PhD; Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD; Michael Rubin, PhD
This work examines the forced deportation of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh in Armenian) by Azerbaijan, defining it as ethnic cleansing. Drawing on Freedom House’s comprehensive report on the topic, and the resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) on Nagorno- Karabakh on September 20241, we conclude that Azerbaijan’s systematic attacks, forced displacement, and destruction of cultural heritage are elements of a premeditated campaign to expel Nagorno-Karabakh of its ethnic Armenians that triggers international legal obligations, including a sustainable right of return. It brings together perspectives from Armenian and international experts in political science and human rights law to analyze the historical, legal, and geopolitical dimensions of the crisis. The paper discusses the Armenian presence in the region from antiquity to the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast under Soviet rule, the independence movement, and subsequent wars, focusing on the 2020 and 2023 conflicts.
US Strategic Interests in the South Caucasus and its Post-2020 War Policy Towards Armenia
Yeghia Tashjian, MA; Benyamin Poghosyan, PhD; Michael Rubin, PhD
In the wake of President Joe Biden’s affirmation of America’s renewed engagement on the global stage post-2020 elections, US foreign policy faces a complex landscape in the post-soviet space, underscored by the tension between democratic ideals and authoritarian forces. Historically, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States fostered warm relations with Russia and the nascent independent states, actively supporting nuclear disarmament and democratic transitions, albeit with varying degrees of involvement across regions…