by Svante E. Cornell and Damjan Krnjević Mišković
AFPC Press/Armin Lear, 2025
Link to Amazon and Kindle Edition
The outcome of the Second Karabakh War is a watershed event in the modern history of Eurasia. It represents the moment of conception of a new South Caucasus, the only part of the world that borders on Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Unsurprisingly, external powers like the U.S., China, the EU, India, and the GCC states are all taking greater interest in its future.
Written for scholars and designed for classroom use, AFTER KARABAKH: War, Peace, and the Forging of a New Caucasus is the go- to book for anyone trying to make sense of the geopolitics of this often misunderstood conflict. As the editors argue in their Introduction, the end of the conflict over Karabakh “will serve as a catalyst for the instauration of a much anticipated peace dividend centered on optimizing the region’s strategic connectivity potential.”
As Michael Doran writes in the Foreword, AFTER KARABAKH “performs a great service to students of international politics. We now have in one volume a set of comprehensive analyses of the main dimensions of the Second Karabakh War. By producing sharp, judicious, and readable accounts, the authors, who are all internationally recognized experts in their fields, have ensured that this volume will become the standard account of the conflict.”
Editors
Svante E. Cornell is Research Director of the American Foreign Policy Council’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and a co-founder of the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP)
Damjan Krnjević Mišković is Professor of Practice at ADA University, where he serves concurrently as Director for Policy Research, Analysis, and Publications at the Institute for Development and Diplomacy and Co-Editor of Baku Dialogues.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Second Karabakh War and a New Caucasus: The Regional Peace Dividend Playing Out at the Card Table; Damjan Krnjević Mišković and Svante E. Cornell
The Geopolitics of the Caucasus and the Road to War; Svante E. Cornell
Perfect Timing and Statecraft: On the Onset of the Second Karabakh War; Damjan Krnjević Mišković
The Foreign and Security Policies of Armenia and Azerbaijan, 1994-2020; Robert M. Cutler
The Evolving Role of the West in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; Svante E. Cornell
Sitting on Two Chairs: Russia's Pragmatic, Transactional Approach to the Karabakh Question; Nikolas K. Gvosdev
Gradually, then Suddenly: The Evolution of Tiirkiye's Role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; Michael A. Reynolds
Iran's Role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict; Brenda Shaffer
Armenia's Pashinyan Conundrum: Implications of the Second Karabakh War; Onnik James Krikorian
No More War, Not Yet Peace: On the Second Karabakh War and Its Aftermath; Fariz Ismailzade
Military Lessons from the Second Karabakh War; Niklas Nilsson
The Geopolitical Causes and Consequences of the Second Karabakh War: Armenian Tragedy, Azerbaijani Vindication, and Prospects for Peace; Damjan Krnjević Mišković