Irina Ghaplanyan – författare

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia has struggled to establish itself, with a faltering economy, emigration of the intelligentsia and the weakening of civil society. This book explores how a new national elite has emerged and how it has constructed a new national narrative to suit Armenia’s new circumstances. The book examines the importance of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan, considers the impact of fraught relations with Turkey and the impact of relations with other neighbouring states including Russia, and discusses the poorly-developed role of the very large Armenian diaspora. Overall, the book provides a key overview to understanding the forces shaping all aspects of present-day Armenia.

This book examines the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and its aftermath, analysing the conflict through the lenses of war, sovereignty, power politics, international law, and unpeace, demonstrating how coercive diplomacy, conflict-persistence, and institutional failure reshaped the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and the regional order. Combining international relations, security studies, legal analysis, and a wide range of empirically grounded analytical models, the book provides a rigorous framework for understanding the 2020 war, the geopolitical factors leading to it, the shifts in the region’s structure and security architecture, the humanitarian crisis, forced displacement, and the collapse of Nagorno-Karabakh. It meticulously explores not only the events that transpired, but also the underlying reasons behind them, the responses of international actors, regional players, and institutions, and the insights these reveal about the limitations of structural dependence, weak deterrence, ineffective mediation, lack of recognition, and accountability gaps in contemporary conflict.The book is intended for scholars, students, and practitioners in international relations, conflict and security studies, post-Soviet politics, international law, peace and conflict studies, human rights, and Eurasian studies. It is also relevant for journalists, policymakers, and those working on conflict prevention, mediation, and regional security.