Caucasus Strategic Perspectives has published my recollections of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with mediating a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is based on both personal observation as someone who has covered the conflict since 1994 and also other accounts of developments along the way. You can download the PDF here.
The demise of the OSCE Minsk Group, an internationally mandated effort to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ends an era that spanned almost three decades. Cochaired by France, Russia, and the United States, it failed to achieve its goal amid rivalry between the co-chair countries themselves and disagreement between the parties. Since the 1994 ceasefire that ended the First Karabakh War, and after the Second Karabakh War in November 2020, its role became increasingly questionable. After the February 2022 Russia–Ukraine war, it has become untenable. The OSCE’s consensus-driven structure, geopolitical competition, and the obstinacy – at times – of the conflicting parties has led to its de facto, albeit not de jure, end. While some in Armenia hope for its continuation, despite having opposed it before 2020, its days seem already numbered. Even if it were to return, it would anyway have to be dramatically transformed to reflect new realities on the ground.
The full piece is available here.
