In September 2020, Azerbaijan, aided by Turkey, attacked the ethnic Armenian region of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh). The Armenians of Artsakh, who had been placed within Azerbaijan’s control during the years of the Soviet Union, had gained de-facto independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Azerbaijan and Turkey sought to end that self-rule with overwhelming military might.

To access the situation in Artsakh, it is imperative to trace the history of violence and genocide against Armenians to Ottoman times. The 2020 Artsakh war, the humanitarian crisis it unleashed, and real concerns about the Armenian nation's continued survival in the region have tangible and teachable roots in the 1915 Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey during WWI.

Although the Armenian Genocide was carried out 100 years ago, Turkey's actions and the international response since 1915 provide important lessons that can intensify our students' understanding of the continuing damage caused by genocide and its denial.’

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