Insights from Young Scholars and Peacebuilders from the Caucasus

insights from young scholars and CORRIDORS PROCEEDINGS VOL. II Sebastian Relitz (Ed.) peacebuilders from the caucasus CORRIDORS PROCEEDINGS VOL.II peacebuilders fromthecaucasus insights from youngscholarsand Sebastian Relitz(Ed.) Sebastian Relitz (Ed.) insights from young scholars and peacebuilders from the caucasus CORRIDORS PROCEEDINGS VOL. II imprint insights from young scholars and peacebuilders from the caucasus CORRIDORS PROCEEDINGS VOL. II CORRIDORS – Dialogue through Cooperation gUG Reuterstraße 32 D –12047 Berlin www.opencorridors.de Editor: Sebastian Relitz Layout: Karen Blume www.karen-blume.de The information and views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and to not necessarily reflect the opinion of Corrridors or our project partners. First published in Berlin 2020. ISBN: 978-3-00-067751-9 table of content sebastian relitz – introduction seda shekoyan insights from young scholars and spaces for talking about peace: peacebuilders from the caucasus 7 reflections on the potential of cultural exchange in the armenian-turkish normalization process 93 aynura babayeva the aftermath of forced internal displa(y)cement: anonym understanding home and belonging overlooking the pre-conflict period: among internally displaced women 16 why is it important for azerbaijan to emphasize coexistence? 99 azamat tatarov ruling over ceremony: the post-soviet state darejan tsurtsumia and institutionalization of islam how does “anti-occupation discourse” in kabardino-balkaria 34 shapes public facebook discussions about reconciliation in georgia? 111 ketevan murusidze local capacities for peace ani kintsurashvili in the georgian-abkhaz context 47 conflicts in georgia: emergence of disputes, moscow’s foreign policy interests, and the role of international salima dzhikirba and sebastian relitz organizations in their resolution 128 strengthening internationalization of higher education in abkhazia: status-quo, potentials, challenges, and recommendations 66 hovsep babayan russia’s foreign policy toward military and political aspects of the nagorno-karabakh conflict 140 lusine vanyan community service learning approach to strengthening the peacebuilding role of artsakh higher institutions 81 insights from young scholars and peacebuilders from the caucasus sebastian relitz – introduction insights from young scholars and peacebuilders from the caucasus The year 2020 was an incredibly turbulent and difficult one for the Caucasus. Here, like all around the world, the global COVID-19 pandemic marked every aspect of life. Moreover, the Caucasus was hit by several political, social, and economic crises and, particular devastating, by a bloody war. Many of these events, such as the political crisis in Georgia after the disputed parliamentary elections or the president’s resig- nation in Abkhazia after massive public protests and the subsequent turbulent elections in the spring, received little international attention. Internal political instability has again become a key characteristic of many regions in the Caucasus, highlighted in the current political crisis in Armenia. Georgia, Abkhazia, and Armenia have also been hit hard by the collapse of tourism, which exposed structural weaknesses in their economies. However, all this was overshadowed by the escalation of the long- running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. At the end of September, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive of the disputed region. The fighting rapidly developed into the most intense and bloody combats since the 1990s, which caused immense human suffering on all sides and particularly among the population of Na- gorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. After six weeks of intense fighting and a progressive Azerbaijani military advance, a ceasefire agreement negotiated under Moscow’s leadership brought the fighting to a halt. The war and the implementation of this ceasefire agreement have enormous ramifications for the people directly -af fected by the conflict, the parties’ positions in the conflict, and future conflict -man agement. Furthermore, these developments change the regional power balance with an increased Russian and Turkish presence. Finally, the outburst of violence and the extreme polarization and radicalization of political and public discourses destroyed many human relations over the divide and silenced peacebuilding initiatives. Promoting peace in the Caucasus’s various protracted conflicts has been a challeng- ing endeavor for nearly thirty years. During this period, regrettably, the prospects for a peaceful resolution have continuously deteriorated; similarly, conflict has been so- lidified as a normality, and the polarized division between neighbors and within societies has been institutionalized. Two developments are particularly evident: (1) the increasing tensions at different levels of conflict, the collective alienation and (self-) isolation of societies, and the shrinking spaces for dialogue and cooperation over the divide, and (2) the restricted knowledge exchange between the societies in conflict and the narrow understanding of the complex conflict structures and dynamics. The 7 insights from young scholars and sebastian relitz – introduction peacebuilders from the caucasus last point has been reflected in the current coverage and debate on the Karabakh stricted, which posed new challenges to facilitate meaningful exchange. Our project conflict. International scholars and experts have dominated the debate. Although also had to be moved into the digital space and changed substantially as a result. many of them are proven specialists on the subject and the region, a lack of knowl- Even though the one-week workshop in Germany, the heart of the project, could not edge transfer from the Caucasus to international discourses is evident. The sidelin- be held and was instead organized in several online workshops, almost all of the se- ing of local expertise can lead to a narrow understanding of the conflicts, which fo- lected participants remained in the project. Moreover, the war placed enormous cuses almost exclusively on their international and geopolitical dimensions. Even pressure on individual peace activists and peacebuilding initiatives that involved though these dimensions are vital, all of the Caucasus’s protracted conflicts are mul- stakeholders from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. On the individual tilevel disputes with a deeply rooted local dimension. Therefore, paying closer atten- level, some faced existential threats through the large-scale violence, and the radi- tion to the local and regional dimensions of the conflicts is crucial. In these dimen- calized discourses within their societies or the pressure from authorities silenced sions in particular, most expertise lies with local stakeholders and in the region itself. others. Some joined these radical discourses, which caused astonishment, regret, This edited volume aims to support the knowledge transfer from and within the Cau- and sadness among colleagues in the region and beyond. Our project was signifi- casus, promote local expertise in international discourses, and shed light on often cantly affected by the war, as many participants and partners came from all sides of overlooked, yet crucial, aspects and outcomes of the unresolved conflicts. the divide. Thus, we had to adapt to this challenge in several ways, and some participants could not finish their work under the extreme circumstances. Nevertheless, we These CORRIDORS PROCEEDINGS VOL. II: insights from young scholars are very happy, proud, and thankful that together we managed to secure a space for and peacebuilders from the caucasus are the outcome of a collaborative pro- exchange and dialogue over the divide, even in times of active fighting. We are in- ject that addresses several of the above-identified challenges for peacebuilding in credibly grateful that our inspiring participants managed to persevere in the process the region. The project called ADVANCING YOUNG PEACEBUILDER CAREERS was and stay engaged in times of war and uncertainty, particularly our courageous col- developed and implemented by CORRIDORS in cooperation with regional partners leagues from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan. from Abkhazia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia. Located at the interface between academic conflict research and civil society peacebuilding, the project at- As mentioned, only a few local experts manage to make themselves heard interna- tempted to combine the potential of both spheres. Sixteen young participants from tionally. Moreover, they are frequently the same senior experts. In a similar vein, the these regions, plus Nagorno-Karabakh, actively contributed to the project, which same actors can often be identified in dialogue and peacebuilding projects. Of course, combined academic input, practical training, and regional exchange. They learned many years of experience and expertise, as well as resilient relationships among such vital concepts of peacebuilding and conflict studies and strengthened essential skills stakeholders, are essential. However, this largely excludes the younger generation of in academic writing and mediation. In particular, the participants developed their peace researchers and civil society activists. But it is primarily the Caucasian youth own research articles or policy and opinion papers, applying the learned skills and who are affected by the negative consequences of the unresolved conflicts. Their knowledge. They were supported and mentored

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