benami206_ALAIN JOCARDAFP via Getty Images_nagornokarabakh Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images

The West Should Avoid Nagorno-Karabakh

In the wake of Azerbaijan's dismantling of the "independent" ethnic-Armenian enclave in its midst, the US might be considering sanctioning the country, while working to deepen security and economic ties with Armenia. But loosening Russia's grip on the South Caucasus will be nearly impossible.

TEL AVIV – Like civil wars, ethnic and religious conflicts usually end one way: with the total defeat of one side. These clashes arouse such intense passions that peace agreements are extremely difficult to negotiate, and when they are reached, they are fundamentally fragile, virtually impossible to enforce, and highly likely to collapse. The war over Nagorno-Karabakh – an enclave of about 120,000 Christian Armenians within the territory of majority-Muslim Azerbaijan – is no exception.

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