Top 5 Books on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
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Following a period of escalation and armed conflict in Sept.-Nov. 2020, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is back on the radar for conflict analysts, journalists, activists, and diplomatic personnel.
This marks the first major confrontation since 2016 and, arguably, the most significant clash since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1988–1994.
Although resources in English are relatively scarce and limited to a small body of academics, here are the five essential readings on the background, clashes, and policy implications of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:
1. The International Politics of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict: The Original “Frozen Conflict” and European Security (2017), ed. Svante E. Cornell
This edited volume focuses on the international security implications of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — primarily for the European Union — rather than the territorial dispute itself.
Svante E. Cornell and his contributors discuss, at great lengths, the policy implications of future clashes for U.S., EU, Russian, Turkish, and Iranian foreign policy. It also details existing agreements, the international legal framework of the conflict, and the history of the negotiating process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
It is an objective, unbiased work of policy analysis featuring seven contributors — all with different backgrounds and sympathies — and attempts to create a broad legal and policy-based assessment of the conflict.
Purchase on Amazon here.
2. Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War (2013), Thomas de Waal
Arguably the most popular book on this list, Thomas de Waal’s “Black Garden” (Updated: 2013) transcends multiple genres of academic writing to incorporate a wide variety of interviews, personal perspectives, and opinions — all contextualized within the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
De Waal chronicles six months of travel through the South Caucasus, writing about the historical inception of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the international community’s reaction, and the perspective of those on the ground who had lived through the most recent war — 1988–1994.
Purchase on Amazon here.
3. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications (1998), Michael P. Croissant
Make no mistake, this is not an unbiased book. Croissant is decidedly on the side of Armenia, taking an adversarial tone with the Azerbaijani hegemonic discourse within a few pages of the introduction. That is not why I’m recommending this one — although, the staunchly pro-Armenian perspective is useful in certain contexts and for understanding contemporary talking points.
Croissant’s take on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is known for its expansive reliance on Armenian primary sources to craft a narrative about Azerbaijani aggression over Nagorno-Karabakh. This book came in the immediate aftermath of the 1988–1994 conflict and should be carefully read in that context, while understanding that the arguments skew in favor of Armenia.
Its bias makes it noteworthy, but it should be read in coordination with Azerbaijani perspectives and historical studies in order to avoid skewing your perspective.
Purchase on Amazon here.
4. Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter’s Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn, Post-Soviet Republic (2015), Thomas Goltz
On the other hand, “Azerbaijan Diary” (Updated: 2015) by Thomas Goltz is transparently biased in favor of Azerbaijan — which is why I recommend it in conjunction with Croissant’s work. Its research, narrative, and publication also come at the same time as Croissant.
Goltz was on the ground in the early 1990’s and present for a variety of high-level political developments in Baku that he gives valuable insight into. Much of the book is told from a first-person eyewitness perspective, with Goltz interjecting his own opinions into what he had witnessed with regards to Nagorno-Karabakh.
He does levy some criticism towards the decision-making processes of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces — however, this is infrequent. Goltz is quite obviously fond of Azerbaijan, its culture, and sympathetic to its claims over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Its bias makes it noteworthy, but it should be read in coordination with Armenian perspectives and historical studies in order to avoid skewing your perspective.
Purchase on Amazon here.
5. Contested Territories and International Law: A Comparative Study of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict and the Aland Islands Precedent (2019), Kamal Makili-Aliyev
Recommended for students of international law, academics, and those seeking a more in-depth understanding of the legal arguments surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh will find it here.
Kamal Makili-Aliyev uses the legal precedent of the Aland Islands dispute between Sweden and Finland — resolved in 1921 — to present us with various arguments on the legal implications of self-determination, intrastate conflict, and the legality of territorial disputes. He applies these argument to Nagorno-Karabakh, carefully examining the legal basis for Armenia and Azerbaijan’s claims — as well as drawing parallels to more recent territorial disputes in Eurasia and the Middle East.
Purchase on Amazon here.
Although five books is not nearly enough to encompass the complexity of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, I still believe that these works are comprehensive enough to provide you with a basic understanding of the historical context for the dispute, the differing perspectives, and the geopolitical/legal implications of future conflict.
For those looking for more, I suggest these further readings:
Alexander Leslie is a foreign policy analyst, freelance journalist, and has an M.A. in Eurasian, Russian, & East European Studies from Georgetown University. His interests include U.S.-Georgia relations, energy politics, and studies in counterterrorism policy.
Contact: aejleslie@gmail.com
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