Armenia
![Armenia and Azerbaijan's longstanding conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh ended in September 2023.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-10252023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
In a lightning strike on Sept. 19, Azerbaijan extinguished more than 30 years of de facto self-governance by ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. For Armenians, its loss is perceived as a catastrophe. For Azerbaijanis, the outcome represents restored sovereignty. But how the conflict ended has key implications for the future.
![Russia-Armenia relations appear to be deteriorating.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/russia-armenia-relations-us-09192023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Last week, Armenia held joint military exercises with U.S. troops for the first time. Remarkable in and of themselves, the exercises were even more noteworthy because they followed a series of other recent developments that have underscored the degree to which Armenia’s relations with Russia have deteriorated in recent years.