Nagorno-Karabakh-A Forgotten Conflict: An Introduction to the Special Issue

In the general area of Southern Caucasus, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is among the frozen disputes in the region, the others being South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are nominally independent states, however de facto occupied by Russia. Presently there is a cold peace in all these regions with the potential to turn into armed conflict. The fact that the three historically significant countries in the region, namely Russia, Iran and Turkey are very much interested in Southern Caucasus can make any clashes in the region turn into a regional war with wide ranging repercussions. This state of affairs makes the Caucasus a highly sensitive area of the world for war and peace. Focusing on the NK conflict with its historic, political, security, ethnic and anthropological dimensions, the collection of nine scholarly papers in this special issue of JMMA make serious contribution to the study of world politics in general and regional issues in particular which involve major international players and global security policies as being played out in the Southern Caucasus.