Conflict in the Caucasus
Over the last several months, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have escalated over the disputed mountainous region known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Reports indicate that more than twenty people died on Sunday, September 27th as a result of fighting between the two countries. This follows more than a dozen deaths this past summer. It is viewed as some of the worst violence in years concerning this long-standing conflict.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for “Conflict in the Caucasus"
Links
“Nagorno-Karabakh: What’s behind the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict?”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54324772
“Armenian, Azeri forces battle again, at least 21 reported killed”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-armenia-azerbaijan/armenian-azeri-forces-clash-again-at-least-21-reported-killed-idUSKBN26J0VM
“Violence Erupts Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Over Long-Disputed Region”
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/27/917489413/violence-erupts-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-over-long-disputed-region
“Azerbaijan, Armenia fight over disputed region as tanks destroyed, helicopters shot down”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/azerbaijan-armenia-nagorno-karabakh-region-conflict-fighting-clashes-attack-army-helicopter
“Why you should care about conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/28/why-you-should-care-about-conflict-between-armenia-and-Azerbaijan
“Deadly Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes unlikely to cause an oil spike, analyst says”
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/28/armenia-azerbaijan-clashes-add-to-oil-market-anxiety.html
“Armenia and Azerbaijan are clashing over a disputed region. Here’s what you need to know”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/28/europe/azerbaijan-armenia-clashes-explainer-intl/index.html
“Why are Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting and what are the implications?”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/28/why-are-armenia-and-azerbaijan-fighting-what-are-implications
Assessment
- Writing: What is the best way to achieve peace and prevent war? How should this conflict be solved?
- Debate: The United States should get involved in order to prevent Russia and Turkey from asserting influence.
- Poll: Who should control the Nagorno-Karabakh region?
- Short Answer: What would be the consequences if Russia and Turkey get into a military conflict?
Current events quiz:
1) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
a. Turkey is an ally of Azerbaijan.
b. Russia is an ally of Armenia.
c. The major religion in Azerbaijan is Christianity.
d. The land area of Azerbaijan is nearly three times as large as Armenia.
2) Which of the following ethnic groups currently controls Nagorno-Karabakh?
a. Azerbaijanis
b. Armenians
c. Russians
d. Iranians
3) What component of the global economy could potentially be impacted if war between Armenia and Azerbaijan occurred?
a. Cars
b. Energy
c. Technology
d. Gold
4) The Nagorno-Karabakh region is an independent country that is claimed by both Russia and Turkey. (T/F)
5) Azerbaijan has more than three times the population of Armenia. (T/F)
6) In 1994 a peace treaty was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (T/F)
Answers:
1) C
2) B
3) B
4) False
5) True
6) False
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