Where the Hell Is Azerbaijan, and Why Should Americans Care?

The Street
Oct 2 2020

Eddie_T

Sep 30, 2020

I keep hearing about the way Azerbaijan and Armenia are fighting. It seems to be turning into a real hotspot. I've been reading about it because world wars have broken out before in places Americans can't find on a map. I don't like the way this one looks at all, fwiw.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are culturally and linguistically almost one country…closely aligned……both nearly 100% Muslim…and Erdogan is backing Azerbaijan in what is a long standing land dispute with Armenia. There are ancient hatreds at play, with genocides having been carried out on both sides in the past.

Azerbaijan is run by a strong man dictator, who wants to add some or all of Armenia to his little fiefdom. Turkey's president Erdogan has also set himself up as president-for-life now….although Turkey is supposed to be our NATO ally…..

Azerbaijan is a fairly big oil and gas producer.

Armenia is Christian, and they are under the protection of the Russians. They are also a real, functioning democracy.

The US seems to me to already to be squarely on the wrong side of this….worse than we are in Syria.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are bordered by Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

What could possibly go wrong?