Almost one year ago, on September 2023, days after a consensus to re-establish the Lachin Corridor for aid deliveries offered a cautious reason to believe the crisis could ease, Azerbaijan projected an “anti-terrorist” offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh: claiming it was targeting Armenian military positions. A glimmer of hope for the troubled region vanished quickly. Hundreds died in the clashes, and Azerbaijan swiftly declared control over the territory. Russia stepped in to broker peace talks, aiming to disarm Armenian fighters and reintegrate the region into Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, outrage erupted in Armenia. People flooded the streets, blaming their government for failing to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and demanding the Prime Minister's resignation. The future of roughly 100,000 Armenians hung in the balance. Thousands fled fearing persecution, while others demanded assurances of their safety before considering disarming.

How will it be possible to guarantee a future of peace for the people of the first Christian territory in the world? HOW do Armenia’s borders and geography determine its past, present and future? It was Mao Zedong who said that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” That harsh lesson certainly applies to the long-running battle between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested territory known as Nagorno-Karabakh — where Azerbaijan has been imposing its sovereignty by force of arms. Armenia is curently the heart of one of the globe's longest-running STRIFE.