Characteristic Features of the Second Karabakh War
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ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 3, – 2021 Characteristic features of the second Karabakh war Khayal Iskandarov 1 A; Piotr Gawliczek 2 B A War College of the Armed Forces, Republic of Azerbaijan B University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland Received: April 25, 2021 | Revised: June 8, 2021 | Accepted: June 30, 2021 DOI: 10.33445/sds.2021.11.3.3 Abstract The factors that led to the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War in late September, 2020 – enshrined in the military history of Azerbaijan as a Patriotic War or “Operation Iron Fist” – have been clarified on the basis of retrospective analysis. The military-political processes that took place during the 44-day war have been studied, their characteristic features have been presented, the contributions of “Operation Iron Fist” to world’s military art have been theoretically substantiated. Key words: Second Karabakh War, “Operation Iron Fist”, Patriotic War, 44-day war, Nagorno- Karabakh. Introduction In late September 2020, the “Nagorno- When we say “unknown results” it should not Karabakh conflict”, which for various reasons doubt or underestimate the capacity of had been ignored by international organizations Azerbaijan Armed Forces. Azerbaijan, in general, for almost 30 years, flared up again and once had braced itself for the war taking into account again brought its existence to the attention of not only the strength of Armenia, but also the the world community. Azerbaijan had always support of its foreign backers. It is an preferred a peaceful solution to the conflict. indisputable fact that without the foreign Unfortunately, after the ceasefire agreement support, Armenia would have never been able signed in May 1994, the process of negotiations to make unfounded claims against Azerbaijan. on the settlement of the “Nagorno-Karabakh The 44-day war has attracted the attention of conflict” had not yield any results until an all-out various military experts and researchers war broke out. In fact, the Azerbaijani leadership worldwide. Researchers engaged in the field of had repeatedly stressed that if the talks failed, defense and security try to draw conclusions the conflict would have been resolved through about the nature of future wars by analyzing the war. Finally, the provocation of Armenian experience of Azerbaijan. In particular, the Armed Forces in the so called “front-line” effective use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) prompted Azerbaijan to launch counter- by the Azerbaijan Army against the Armenian offensive operation with a code name of Armed Forces has led to serious discussions “Operation Iron Fist” on September 27, 2020 about outdated weapons and equipment, and shattered the status quo over the Nagorno- especially tanks, on the battlefield and the Karabakh problem. One could say why the war incompatibility of existing operational concepts started exactly in 2020, but not earlier, for with new technological capabilities. During the instance in 2016, when a serious confrontation war and after the statement of November 10, took place between the parties. It should be 2020 on the ceasefire, a number of researchers, noted that, it had never been Azerbaijan's political and military experts touched upon strategy to wage a war with “unknown results”. various aspects of the Patriotic War, but no 1 Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0001-8975-6530 2 Assoc. Prof., PhD, e-mail: [email protected], ORCID: 0000-0002-0462-1168 30 ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 3, – 2021 definitive study has been conducted yet. opinions of various experts and researchers, as Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study well as the studies of various research centers. the military-political processes that took place The work is mainly theoretical and uses methods during the Second Karabakh War, to make of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction and scientific and practical conclusions about its idealization. results. The paper analyzed the views and Results and discussion Factors necessitating the outbreak of the international community that Armenia was Second Karabakh War preparing for a new war (Heydər Piriyev). Although there had been numerous clashes Damjan Miskovic presented the following between the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops chronological events that led to the outbreak of since the 1994 ceasefire agreement, the July 12, the Second Karabakh War, where he highlighted 2020 confrontation in the direction of Tovuz was the importance of July 2020 military flare–up of special historical significance. Because after (Damjan Miskovic): that confrontation, the unity of the Azerbaijani in late October 2018, Pashinyan told then people and their support for the army reached U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton that its peak, and there was a full stimulus to large- the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict scale counter-offensive operations against the did not depend on the Armenian people and provocations of the Armenian Army. A detailed diaspora, because it was a pan-Armenian issue; information about this confrontation has been in late March 2019, then-Armenian Defense provided in different academic papers (Ənvər Minister David Tonayan called on the country to Əfəndiyev və b.). In fact, Armenia wanted to prepare for a “new war for new territories” after ensure its policy of aggression on Azerbaijani Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s first official lands by involving a third country in the conflict. meeting with President Ilham Aliyev; However, the pragmatic behavior of the in mid-May 2019, Pashinyan repudiatedthe Azerbaijani leadership did not allow the Madrid Principles rejecting the existence of a Armenian government to realize this wish key document for resolving the conflict; (Ənvər Əfəndiyev və b.). in early August 2019, Pashinyan declared in The Armenian government, aggravated by the occupied Khankendi that Nagorno-Karabakh the failure in Tovuz, began to concentrate its and seven surrounding regions were part of armed forces on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Armenia; border, as well as in the occupied territories. immediately after the July 2020 There were intelligence reports that Armenia confrontation, Pashinyan stated that the “myth was planning an offensive against Azerbaijan to of the Azerbaijan Army capable of defeating the seize additional lands in order to extend so- Armenian army in order to force Armenia to called “security belt”. The fact that YPG / PKK make concessions” no longer existed. terrorists trained in Irag and Syria had been Finally, on September 27, 2020, the settled in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is Armenian Armed Forces launched offensive another proof of our argument. While the world operations along the entire front. However, the community thought that the Prime minister of successful counter-offensive (codenamed “Iron Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan was “preparing his Fist”) by the Azerbaijan Armed Forces thwarted nation for peace”, the Armenian government their plan to occupy new territories. Although was preparing for war. Even in September 2020, the political nature of the war is presented during the 75th session of the UN General complex in some sources, in fact, the “Operation Assembly, the President of the Republic of Iron Fist” had a simple and explicit objective: to Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev warned the expel the units of Armenian Army from the 3 1 ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 3, – 2021 occupied Azerbaijani lands and ensure the as “Operation Storm” initiated by Croatian Army return of about one million IDPs. In this respect, in August 1995 (Figure 1). the Second Karabakh War is of the same nature Fig. 1 – Operation Storm (Operation Storm) In “Operation Storm”, the Croatian Army armenians living in Russia, especially the overthrew the separatist regime in Serbian oligarchs. Krajina and restored the country’s territorial One of the main differences between integrity. Serbian Krajina was a so-called Serb “Operation Iron Fist” and “Operation Storm” is state formed within Croatia’s international that up to 200,000 serbs living in Serbian Krajina borders. Its territory was 18.4% of the total had fled. The rest (about 5,000–6,000) were territory of Croatia. However, the Second almost older generation. Croatian historian Ivo Karabakh War was a war waged by the Goldstein writes: “The reasons for the migration Azerbaijan Army not only against the separatist of serbs are different. Some were obliged to flee regime in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also against because the Serbian Army forced them to do so, the Armenian Army. It should also be noted that while others fled in fear of retaliation by the in this war, Armenia was not alone, foreign Croatian Army or their Croatian neighbors, who supporters backed up this country overtly (with had once been driven out and looted. However, political statements) and covertly (with the later it became clear that this fear was supply of weapons). The Armenian people unfounded” (C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1999). In hoped that Russia would intervene immediately fact, the armenians in Karabakh also had such a and get them off the hook again. However, fear. Because they also killed Azerbaijanis and Russia did not openly intervene in the war, looted their houses in early 1990s. However, the which dashed the hopes of the Armenian victorious Azerbaijani Army demonstrated its government and people, as well as the commitment to the principles of humanism only 3 2 ISSN 2522-9842 Journal of Scientific Papers “Social Development and Security”, Vol. 11, No. 3, – 2021 by striking at the legitimate military targets of expert). The Second Karabakh War lasted two the enemy. weeks longer than Igor Korotchenko estimated. Distinguishing characteristics of “Operation Korotchenko argued that the war would be Iron Fist”. Retrospective analysis prolonged with foreign military support. It On September 27, 2020, the Armed Forces of happened. Foreign supporters covertly backed the Republic of Azerbaijan mobilized its main up Armenia with weapons and equipment and forces for a counter-offensive operation.