The Second Karabakh War (2020): Causes and Consequences

Keywords: Karabakh War, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, military conflict

Abstract

The purpose of the research paper is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the causes and prerequisites of the Second Karabakh War, the course of hostilities, the consequences of the armed conflict for the region, and the characteristics of the factors that ensured its results.

The scientific novelty of the study is in the comprehensive approach to substantiating the causes and outcomes of the Second Karabakh War, which makes it possible to analyze and characterize the differences in the military-political and technological dimensions of the development strategy of both sides, as well as external factors, in particular the role and position of other countries. The study allows us to argue that the Second Karabakh War can be considered a war of a new type, strategically thought out in the context of troops’ command and control, decision-making, technical and operational support, information support, and risks for the sake of success.

Conclusions. The Second Karabakh War was the first interstate armed conflict that was actually ended due to the use of precision weaponry and advanced autonomous military technologies, which had previously been available only to large states with robust budgets. It was a turning point in modern military affairs.

The outcome of the war was primarily caused by the strategic and tactical differences in the development of Armenia and Azerbaijan after the end of the first war in Nagorno-Karabakh. It became a new type of war with the use of robotics, high-precision long-range weapons, and remotely controlled equipment, which allowed the Azerbaijani side to avoid the involvement of large masses of infantry in combat operations.

Azerbaijan’s tactics of military return of the territories annexed by Armenia worked at the right time for the outbreak of the war. That could be traced in the passivity of Western countries, which played mainly the role of ‘observers’, while Russia and Turkey, pursuing their own goals, tried to strengthen their geopolitical positions in the region. Moreover, while Turkey provided military and diplomatic assistance to Azerbaijan in every possible way, Russia sought to weaken the regime of N. Pashinyan and regain its position in Armenia and the region.

An important role in the local military confrontation between Yerevan and Baku was played by the horizontal system of decision-making in the Azerbaijani armed forces and the application of the network warfare strategy along with the powerful technical equipment of the army, which provided more freedom and significantly expanded its operational capabilities.

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Published
10.01.2025
How to Cite
Markitantov, V., & Vinnichuk, O. (2025). The Second Karabakh War (2020): Causes and Consequences. Eminak: Scientific Quarterly Journal, (4(48), 300-315. https://doi.org/10.33782/eminak2024.4(48).765
Section
Contemporary History