If anyone has reputable Azerbaijani sources please post them in the comments. Also, if any of this information is misleading please post a comment with details, thanks!

Posting a slightly updated version of what I put on Instagram yesterday. This is intended for US Americans who are hearing about Armenia and Azerbaijan in the news and are trying to make sense of a very confusing media landscape as the situation becomes more and more urgent.

A number of you are better informed than I am. Accepting your critiques and additions if you have the energy to give them. If you are just hearing about this news, let me know your questions as a comment or a private message. I may not know the answer, but I can do my best to point you to someone who does.

As of this morning, Azerbaijan has attacked not only the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh but also an area within the internationally recognized borders of Armenia. Some things to keep in mind:

1. This is not just geopolitics. This is people. My feed is full of people terrified that their younger brothers are going to end up on the list of dead. Teenage girls taking care of baby siblings while their male relatives go to the front lines. College students who live in areas directly under attack because they had to go home due to Covid.

2. Reject outright any analysis that foregrounds “ancient hatreds” or religious conflict.

3. We are all trying to be so careful about our media consumption these days, and I know it is frustrating to feel like you’re not getting the full story when you’re just hearing about this for the first time. Here are some examples of how I try to read broadly:

• The usual go-tos (CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera) are not going to be much help here. Consider them tertiary sources. They just don’t have the experience in the region. Neutrality =/= accuracy. (I am breaking my own rule here with the NPR piece below, because I feel it deals with historical and international context better than most of the others.)

• OC Media and Eurasianet specialize in the region and are generally good places to go for summaries.

• Reputable English-language Armenian sources on the ground include EVN Report and CivilNet.

• There are opposition voices in Azerbaijan, but they are hard to hear because of internet shutdowns and the arrest of at least one anti-war activist. Parroting the official Azerbaijani Defense Ministry line does Azerbaijani people no favors.

4. Contact your representatives. The US is an official mediator, and (with France and Russia) we have done a SHIT job of it.

• What can you tell your reps? Even telling them you noticed and you care is helpful. Double if you live outside CA, MI, MA, NJ, NY and don’t have an Armenian last name.

• If you want to add on to that, tell them to stop sending military aid to Azerbaijan.

5. If you are on Twitter and want to read multiple perspectives, be wary of propaganda. Six people I follow are Emil Sanamyan, Laurence Broers, Thomas de Waal, Cavid Aga, Arzu Geybulla, and Olesya Vartanyan.

NPR Article