GOVERNMENT NARRATIVES IN AZERBAIJAN ON THE ARMENIA- AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT OVER KARABAKH AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES by Kelly Christine Benedicto A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Conflict Analysis and Resolution Committee: ___________________________________________ Chair of Committee ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Graduate Program Director ___________________________________________ Dean, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution Date: _____________________________________ Spring Semester 2019 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Government Narratives in Azerbaijan on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict over Karabakh and the Occupied Territories A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at George Mason University by Kelly Christine Benedicto Bachelor of Arts George Mason University, 2012 Director: Karina Korostelina, Professor School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution Spring Semester 2019 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2019 Kelly Christine Benedicto All Rights Reserved ii Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my husband, Anthony, who held down the fort when I was traveling, writing, and putting everything together. Further, I would like to thank my dog, Lady, for incessantly nudging my arm with her nose and messing up my typing and reminding me daily of the value of taking a break. iii Acknowledgements From the proposal stage to the research and writing of this thesis, I have received a great deal of advice and support from Dr. Karina Korostelina, whose expertise on research and the field of conflict analysis is invaluable. Further, I would like to thank Dr. Susan Allen and Dr. Douglas Irvin-Erickson for their participation on my thesis committee. Their review and advice of my research and writing was crucial. Further, I would like to acknowledge everyone who assisted me in my travels as well as in establishing an expert group of contacts on this project. I would also like to thank every interview participant for contributing to the research, and being open and honest regarding experiences with personal, cultural, and historical aspects of intractable conflict. iv Table of Contents Page List of Abbreviations ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Abstract .......................................................................... viError! Bookmark not defined. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Social Identity and the Concept of Nation .................................................. 7 Chapter Two: Case Study of Azerbaijan .......................................................................... 36 Chapter Three: Purpose of Research and Methodology ................................................... 65 Chapter Four: Azerbaijani Newspaper Narrative Research Results ................................. 77 Chapter Five: Azerbaijani Interview Narrative Research Results .................................... 98 Chapter Six: Analysis of Results and Applied Theory ................................................... 157 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 199 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 203 v List of Abbreviations Central Intelligence Agency ........................................................................................... CIA Congressional Research Service .................................................................................... CRS Group of Seven ................................................................................................................. G7 Heydar Aliyev Foundation .............................................................................................HAF Internally Displaced Person ............................................................................................ IDP Karabakh Liberation Organization ............................................................................... KLO Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) .................... KGB Minister of Parliament ..................................................................................................... MP Non-Governmental Organization.................................................................................. NGO Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe .............................................. OSCE Soviet Socialist Republic ............................................................................................... SSR Suitable Target of Externalization ................................................................................. STE United Nations ................................................................................................................. UN United Soviet Socialist Republic .................................................................................USSR vi Abstract GOVERNMENT NARRATIVES IN AZERBAIJAN ON THE ARMENIA- AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT OVER KARABAKH AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Kelly Christine Benedicto, M.S. George Mason University, 2019 Thesis Director: Dr. Karina Korostelina This thesis describes current-day (2019) Azerbaijani government narratives regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and explores how government narrative impacts potential peace building efforts. The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is described as intractable, and therefore understanding the active conflict and peace narratives perpetuated by the leaders of the nations at war is key in considering conflict transformation strategies. The study included a three month textual study of publications in selected Azerbaijani newspapers as well as thematic analysis of twenty-four semi-structured interviews in the capital of Azerbaijan. The results of the analysis show that government conflict narrative in Azerbaijan contributes to a willingness amongst the Azerbaijani people to engage in conflict in order to accomplish collective territorial goals. This thesis is intended to be a resource for researchers looking to understand the long-term impacts of identity-based conflict narrative on peace processes in a time of rising territorial disputes. vii Introduction The research in this thesis is centered on internal narratives within Azerbaijan in order to analyze the production and function of governmental narrative, and how it impacts public opinion in Azerbaijan. I am also interested in how governmental narrative impacts issues such as future implications for the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and potential peace building processes. My hope is that the research will shed more light on this conflict in a critical time when not only attention has lessened on the nation and the conflict, but also at a time the Azerbaijani government has made it harder for international organizations and researchers to work in Azerbaijan to conduct broader studies on this topic. Therefore, the purpose of this social constructivist study is to understand the current governmental narratives of conflict within Azerbaijan as they pertain to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh and the Azerbaijani occupied territories, in the interest of learning how this post-isolationist narrative might impact current and future peace building efforts between the nations. The research question at the heart of the thesis is: What is the prevalent national narrative created by the Azerbaijani government about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, and how does it impact peace building efforts in Azerbaijan? The key findings of the research on this question reveal that governmental narratives within Azerbaijan on the Armenia-Azerbaijan 1 conflict negatively impacts potential peace building processes. This is due to a number of factors, which have resulted in one dominant Azerbaijani government narrative on the conflict resulting in uncompromising mindsets, making Azerbaijanis more likely to engage in conflict escalating instead of peace building behavior. It should be stated here, that I also propose a repeat of this study, but focusing on Armenia, therefore capturing current data on both parties in the conflict. Context of the research: At the crossroads of Europe and Asia lies a narrow strip of land in between the Black and Caspian seas, known as Transcaucasia. Within this region are three nations, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and is surrounded on both sides by the regional powers Russia, Iran, and Turkey (CIA). As a land bridge between Europe and Asia, Transcaucasia was very important for travel and trade for millennia (Chorbaijan, 2001, p. 32). Because it was a very important migrant and economic region, many empires have come to claim it throughout time. These empires include the Arabs, Mongols, Turkmens, Seljuk Turks, Ottoman Turks, Safavid Persians, and the Russians (p. 33). Due to this, it has become “one of the most ethnically and culturally heterogeneous areas of the world,” (Croissant, 1998, p. 2). This type of fluid border movement and consistent ethnic infusion has led to a number of territorial claims in the region, in which the nations cannot