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Nagorny Karabakh conflict: Prospects for conflict transformation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Artak Ayunts ,
Mikayel Zolyan  and
Tigran Zakaryan
Artak Ayunts*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manoogian, Yerevan 0025, Armenia
Mikayel Zolyan
Affiliation:
Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences, UNESCO Chair on Human Rights, Democracy and European Languages, 42 Tumanyan, Yerevan 0002, Armenia
Tigran Zakaryan
Affiliation:
Armenian National Academy of Science, 24 Marshal Baghramian Avenuea, Yerevan 0019, Armenia
*
∗Corresponding author. Email: aayunts@gmail.com; ayunts@yahoo.com
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Abstract

The article explores the current stalemate in the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, and perspectives for conflict transformation. As the conflict has remained dormant for more than 20 years, the political systems of the countries engaged in the conflict have adjusted to the conflict situation. The conflict is often used by the political elites in order to legitimize their power, consolidate support, marginalize opponents, and neutralize democratizing pressures. Since the status quo serves the interests of the authorities, the ruling regimes do not have strong incentives to seek conflict resolution. In these conditions, conflict transformation approaches are considered a necessary means to deal with the conflict. Given that political elites have little incentive to implement such transformation, civil society actors come increasingly to the fore. Only through multitrack initiatives supported by civil society actors, we argue, can conflict transformation practices advance and subsequently bring peace to the region.

Keywords

conflict transformationNagorny Karabakhpeacebuildingauthoritarianismcivil society
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 44 , Issue 4 , July 2016 , pp. 543 - 559
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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