The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh has continued for over three decades and peace continues to remain elusive, writes Onnik James Krikorian in this op-ed for commonspace.eu. Populist rhetoric and combative media reports reinforce entrenched positions in both societies, but the situation has become markedly worse with the emergence of a new battleground – social media.

Last week, Caucasus Edition, the publication of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, held another Zoom webinar, this time entitled “Rethinking Peacebuilding in the South Caucasus in Relation to the War in Ukraine.” Recently, there have been many commenting on what the Russian invasion might have on this region, though framing it as a need to reconsider peacebuilding strategies in the South Caucasus is an especially relevant one.

In a Commonspace piece published last month, Johnny Melikian and Ramazan Samadov argue that the unblocking of regional economic and transport links represent an unprecedented opportunity for achieving peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Though the authors note that the wounds from the war will take time to heal, it is this connectivity that could prove to be the most significant development emerging from the 2020 ceasefire agreement.

Love it or hate it, Zoom has become an integral part of many people’s lives during this pandemic and naturally, given even more closed borders because of the epidemiological situation, conflict-resolution projects. While this is to be applauded given that it has opened up communication in the public sphere, those organisations engaged in Armenia-Azerbaijan peacebuilding continue to fail to use new tools adequately. Indeed, it was an abject failure, continues to be one, and there is little sign that they have learned from their past mistakes too.