YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia is pleased to announce the publication of a new article co-authored by Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Published in the scholarly journal Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, the article examines the domestic factors that enabled Turkey’s assertive engagement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict “with an unprecedented degree of power projection.”
By tracing the evolution of key domestic institutional dynamics and their implications for Turkey’s strategic turn, the study comparatively analyzes the factors that shaped Ankara’s positioning during the Nagorno-Karabakh wars of the 1990s and 2020. The authors argue that Turkey’s autocratic turn, the neutralization of domestic checks and balances, the monopolization of decision-making, the expansion of military power and capabilities, and revisionist foreign policy posturing collectively shaped Ankara’s involvement in the .
Reflecting on the publication, Dr. Ter-Matevosyan remarked: “Turkey’s positioning during the 2020 war shifted across several dimensions, making it difficult for observers to fully grasp the real scope of its engagement. My colleague, Levon Hovsepyan, and I set out to analyze the key drivers behind Turkey’s involvement in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and to compare it with Turkey’s posture during the same conflict in the early 1990s. We hope this research will offer a meaningful contribution to the growing body of literature on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and Turkish foreign policy, and that it will also help reassess the foreign policy implications of Turkey’s authoritarian turn.”
The publication follows Dr. Ter-Matevosyan’s recent study in Small Wars & Insurgencies, which examined the role of revenge in shaping Azerbaijan’s institutional practices and strategic choices toward Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Together, these studies reflect Dr. Ter-Matevosyan’s continued research into the political, institutional, and strategic factors shaping conflict and state behavior in the South Caucasus.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.