Black Soil. Oil and Ethnicity in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

To study the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is highly relevant for several reasons. First, the conflict sustains a sizeable human catastrophe in the Caucasus by obstructing the return of more than 1 million IDPs. Second, the conflict effectively drives a wedge through the region, and threatens the transit of Caspian oil to the world market. (This is especially relevant in a Norwegian context since Statoil is a sizable shareholder in several of the major oil development projects in Azerbaijan). Third, the conflict ties up the entire Caucasus, as Armenia and Azerbaijan are placed on opposite sides of two rivalling blocks in the region: the East-West US-Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan axis and the North-South Russia-Armenia-Iran axis. Fourth, the conflict might erupt into a new war with substantial regional consequences. It is therefore of interest to discuss why the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unsolved. This master thesis essentially aspires to answer the research question: Why has there not, despite several international peace efforts, been a resolution to the prolonged conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh?