Zack, Jenn, and Alex explain the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh — a contested region inside Azerbaijani borders but populated largely by ethnic Armenians. They break down the Soviet-era origins of the conflict, discuss why the fighting has flared up in a particularly scary way this summer and fall, and then zoom out to the role that major powers like Russia and Turkey play.

References:

Alex wrote an explainer for Vox on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Also check out Politico’s explainer on the issue.

The Guardian reported on how half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has already been displaced.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs plan to meet to discuss an end to the fighting.

Meduza has some helpful history that clears up why this conflict has lasted for so long.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

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