Creating the "Enemy Nation": The Difficult Historical Legacies of Armenian-Azerbaijani Relations

Abstract

The "four-day war" between Armenia and Azerbaijan in early April 2016 drew the attention of the international community to the mountainous region of Karabakh, the location of one of the so-called "frozen conflicts" in the South Caucasus. During intense fighting, dozens were killed, hundreds were wounded, and many driven from their homes. This military confrontation demonstrated that the ceasefire negotiated more than twenty years earlier between Azerbaijan and Armenia has not worked and has not helped to bring the two alienated neighboring nations any closer to a lasting, peaceful settlement. This article provides an overview of over a century of Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation by analyzing the roots of this difficult relationship and how historical legacies still impact the situation today.