Tag: Deterrence

March 13, 2025
Countering Azerbaijan’s Coercion: Armenia’s Deterrence Strategies

Countering Azerbaijan’s Coercion: Armenia’s Deterrence Strategies

Azerbaijan employs coercive tactics to pressure Armenia into political concessions. Davit Petrosyan examines Aliyev's strategy, Armenia's vulnerabilities, and the risks of dropping legal claims. He argues that, beyond military strengthening, Armenia must develop its own coercive strategy targeting Aliyev’s key fears and vulnerabilities, effectively deterring Azerbaijan.

September 14, 2023
Examining the Context: Azerbaijan’s Madman Strategy and the Normalization of Coercion

Examining the Context: Azerbaijan’s Madman Strategy and the Normalization of Coercion

EVN Report's Editor-in-Chief Maria Titizian speaks with Dr. Nerses Kopalyan, author of the monthly series "EVN Security Report" who explains the madman theory, a strategy in coercive bargaining, where the perceived extremism of an actor is leveraged to achieve one-sided outcomes. In this context, Kopalyan explains how Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s bargaining posture operates off of the logic that if his terms are not met, he reserves the right to wage war, thus anchoring the threat of destruction to force acquiescence from Armenia and the international community.