Between Geopolitics and Identity Struggle: Why Israel Took Sides with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Abstract

In the second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020, Azer­baijan achieved a decisive victory over Armenia. Quite sur­prisingly, Israel was a key player in this conflict, providing Azerbaijan with exten­sive support in the form of technology and arms. This support is part of a bigger research puzzle: How can Israel’s involve­ment in this conflict be explained? This report offers an explanation by showing how both geo­political factors and identity struggle are inter­twined. Using the lens of critical geo­political analysis, the report argues that not only realist factors, but also social con­structions of security as well as natio­nal and cul­tural iden­tity play into Israel’s inte­rest in the region.