Thread on Azerbaijani identity and collective trauma

A good friend of mine recently shared J. Kuchera's article on Eurasianet, which rightfully argues that foreign media has been focusing heavily on potential Turkish involvement in AZE-ARM conflict, ignoring its local roots.

Azerbaijan's association with Turkish backing and Syrian mercenaries, but at the same time, erasure of the trauma of more than 600.000 forcibly displaced Azerbaijanis in these reports, further contribute to the collective trauma of Azerbaijani people.

Azerbaijani identity is associated with the trauma resulting from "territorial loss" of the early 20th century, and in particular, Nagorno-Karabakh War, as a result of which it not only lost Nagorno-Karabakh, but also seven Azerbaijani-majority adjacent territories

Unfortunately, this trauma has been "reminded" to Azerbaijanis quite often after Pashinyan came into power. Pashinyan's aggressive "Karabakh belongs to Armenia" rhetoric, coupling with unsuccessful negotiation processes that excluded communities of concern brought about

strong frustration to Azerbaijanis. Interestingly, while many Armenians bring democratization argument in discussions on AZE-ARM conflict, this process has actually been partly responsible for instigating the antagonism from Azerbaijani side.

@nana_gadimova provides solid explanation on the effects of transition period in Armenia on the triggering of Azerbaijani trauma: https://twitter.com/nana_gadimova/status/1310261663715799041

Wars are never justified. Nonetheless, we need to analyze and understand complex factors that accelerate the conflict between two nations in order to designate effective conflict resolution strategies.

Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict does not consist of an aggressor and a victim. The dynamic positions of the conflict parties and international community highly impacts the whole outcomes. Just as the possibility of the Turkish involvement contributes to

fear of extermination from the Armenian side and accordingly, strengthens the survival instincts of Armenians, any sensitive position reminding Azerbaijanis the territorial loss contributes to the furthering of the collective unity of Azerbaijani people.

These basic facts are unfortunately neglected by Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who refuse to recognize each other's trauma in most cases. This results in prevailing of ethnonationalism from both countries, which in its turn, further instigates the conflict.

Instead, we need to use the collective memories of Armenian and Azerbaijani people to promote peace narratives, and include all the affected communities in the peace process. That means: status quo is not acceptable and

deconstruction and reconstruction of Armenian and Azerbaijani identities are crucial in providing lasting solution to the conflict. It is a long and painful road, but we have no choice but to step towards it.