Even at its peak, the United States was unable to resolve the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now they have no chance at all.
This is the subject of an editorial by the American agency Bloomberg.
As the authors note, the escalation of tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh is not an event that requires American intervention. Although Donald Trump is already interested in what is happening, it will do more harm than good. The Armenian-American community would welcome Washington’s intervention, they are confident in the agency. Only previous attempts by the US to get involved in this confrontation “give no reason for optimism”. For example, Bloomberg recalled how, as early as 1997, the United States co-chaired a group of countries that were trying to resolve the dispute.
“Although this was at the height of American power and prestige, these efforts, including the personal intervention of President Bill Clinton, led to nothing”, – the article says. – “Russia has been much more successful in protecting the Caucasus. In 1994, Moscow, at the height of its history, convinced both countries to agree to a ceasefire. In 2016, it was Russian pressure that prevented the border clashes from becoming a full-scale war. Now Moscow is back in the mood for mediation, and President Vladimir Putin is in a much better position than Trump to persuade his Armenian and Azerbaijani colleagues to step back from the abyss.”
From a geopolitical point of view, the agency notes, closeness is an important resource, and Russia has much closer ties to the former Soviet republics. Moreover, Moscow has serious levers to influence its neighbours, being an important trading and military partner for them.
Washington, on the other hand, is better off in this field, the paper says. Trump, who is famous for his destructive policy, will barely be able to make a deal.
“His administration is more likely to complicate this dispute than to resolve it. Washington should let Moscow go ahead,” Bloomberg said.