David Boyajian’s latest report summarizes the dire situation faced by Armenia, which is being devastated by Azerbaijan with Turkish help and Russian complicity.
Crisis in the Caucasus: Two Facts You Aren’t Being Told
by David Boyajian
1. Armenia is more critical to Russia’s security than Ukraine is
Armenia is Russia’s sole ally in the Caucasus, a region I’ve often termed Ground Zero for Cold War 2.0.
Without its Armenian partner, Russia would lose the Caucasus (Georgia/Armenia/Azerbaijan) and Caspian Sea — and possibly Turkic Central Asia — to pan-Turkism and NATO. Pan-Turkic ideology parallels NATO’s own anti-Russian ideology and ambitions.
In contrast, even if Ukraine joined NATO, the Russian-NATO power balance would not change drastically. Realistically, Europe and America aren’t about to launch a major, unprovoked attack on a nuclear/WMD-armed Russia.
The Turkey-Caucasus-Caspian-Central Asia belt, however, has long posed an existential challenge for its northern neighbor.
Though vulnerable to another Russian attack, Georgia remains a possible NATO candidate and Western darling. It hosts Europe-bound gas and oil pipelines originating in Azerbaijan. Georgia is also currently the West’s only path into/out of the Caucasus/Caspian. Azerbaijan, an ally of Turkey and Israel, has fallen into line with Georgia.
Turkey and Azerbaijan (“Two countries, one nation”) closed their borders with Armenia three decades ago. That left Christian — Apostolic, Catholic, and Evangelical — Armenia as the only physical obstacle to full U.S./NATO/Turkish penetration of Russia’s underbelly. That explains much of why Moscow needs Yerevan, and is obvious from glancing at a map.
Given its genocidal experiences with Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia has necessarily allied itself with Russia. While Armenia prizes its independence, it must rely on Russia for its gas and oil, the operation of its nuclear power plant, weaponry, and more.
Unfortunately, the West has rarely assisted Armenia militarily despite their millennia-long and contemporary friendly relations. Indeed, the so-called Christian West and certain thinly disguised dark forces now prefer Turkic mass murderers.
However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, elected/reelected in 2018/2021, has been friendlier with the West than have previous Armenian leaders.
That has angered Putin. He now wants to totally dominate Russia’s ally lest America/NATO/Turkey knock over the region’s remaining domino: Armenia.
2. Russia is blockading the ancient Armenian-populated province of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh
Around December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan initiated what has turned into a food, fuel, electricity, medical, and communications blockade of the 120,000 Christian Armenians of Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabagh].
Azerbaijan did so mainly by placing phony “demonstrators” on Artsakh’s only road to/from Armenia.
In the 1920s, Stalin maliciously assigned the ancient, Armenian-populated province of Artsakh to Azerbaijan as part of his divide and conquer strategy. Prior to 1918, incidentally, no country named Azerbaijan had ever existed.
From 1991 to 2020, Armenia’s and Artsakh’s militaries successfully protected Artsakh against constant Azerbaijani attacks. That changed in late 2020. Armenians lost much of Artsakh due to deliberate Russian passivity and Turkey’s and Israel’s siding with Azerbaijan.
Baku now seeks not only to ethnically cleanse Artsakh but also, with Ankara’s backing, to seize huge swathes of Armenia itself.
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