The resumption of fighting in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh has already taken a heavy toll. The danger is that this intense micro-conflict may yet escalate, drawing regional powers into fullscale war. Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation, and could, but has not yet, ask the six-member bloc to help militarily. A state of “no war, no peace” has prevailed since 1994 with episodic eruptions of violence. In truth, though it holds the best hope for a truce, it is as frozen as the conflict itself.

Source: The Irish Times September 29, 2020 17:37 UTC