This issue of Insight Turkey, through off-topic pieces, covers very significant issues related to the changes in the international system, Karabakh War, Gulf rivalry, and developments in the Balkans.
With its regional mindset and strategy, there is now a way for Tehran to be productive in the South Caucasus
On September 27, 2020, regional clashes erupted following a provocative Armenian attack on the front line, leading to a reemergence of the dragged-out Karabakh conflict onto the world agenda. When the clashes first started, few could have guessed that this period would be known as the “Second Karabakh War” and that it would lead to key outcomes in a short time span. With the influence of various factors on the war, especially Turkey’s support, Azerbaijan liberated an important segment of its occupied lands, dealing a clear defeat to Armenia. This war is an important turning point in terms of reversing the status quo which had been attempted to be imposed on Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years. The status quo demonstrated that the Karabakh conflict, and hence Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories, was unsustainable. The current book conducts a comprehensive analysis of the Karabakh conflict, with contributions from field-expert academics and specialists from Azerbaijan and Turkey. While doing so, it addresses the significance of the Karabakh conflict, its historical background, the Second Karabakh War, and the Karabakh policies of thirdparty actors from a broad perspective.
The backlash over U.S. President Joe Biden’s statement on the so-called Armenian 'genocide' continues. Deeming the Turkish government’s reaction insufficient, opposition leaders argued that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lacked 'the courage to hang up on Biden.' Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Good Party (IP) leader Meral Akşener eagerly attacked the government much more fiercely than they reacted to the White House statement. Turkey’s contemporary foreign policy, they said, was actually responsible for what happened.
One thing is clear: The relationship between Ankara and Washington gradually evolve from the constraints of a traditional alliance. A new modus operandi emerges, which brings together adversity, competition and cooperation.