Azerbaijan-Armenia rhetoric more risky than gunfire
Friday, July 24, 2020
Significance
Azerbaijan's threats of military action are cause for concern as the country looks to Turkey, which elsewhere has shown a willingness for regional intervention.
Impacts
- The fighting puts the Karabakh dispute back on the radar of concerned regional and international powers.
- Conflict allows both governments to rally populations tired of COVID-19 restrictions.
- In Azerbaijan, 'war talk' provides cover as the authorities arrest critics, ostensibly for quarantine violations.