Description
A MODERN POLITICAL CLAIM ON HISTORICALLY ARMENIAN LANDAfter the 2023 depopulation of Artsakh, Azerbaijan's doctrine of "Western Azerbaijan" has turned Armenia itself into a declared target. This rigorously documented study traces how rhetoric becomes state policy — from Soviet border engineering to cultural erasure, weaponized "return," and the manipulation of international law. Both a warning and a record of how narrative can prepare the ground for territorial expansion.
“Western Azerbaijan” is not a historical designation. It is a modern political claim advanced by the Republic of Azerbaijan to relabel territory that has been the heartland of the Armenian people for millennia.
These lands—encompassing present-day Armenia and adjacent regions—were integral parts of the Armenian Highlands and were administered for centuries under Persian imperial protection and later incorporated into the Russian Empire. At no point prior to 1918 did a state named Azerbaijan exist, nor was there any administrative, political, or cultural continuity that would justify such a claim.
The concept of “Western Azerbaijan” emerged only after Azerbaijan was established as a state in 1918. Since then, it has been used as part of a political narrative that denies the historical reality of Armenian presence, delegitimizes Armenia’s sovereignty, and lays groundwork for maximalist territorial ambitions.
This book examines the origins, construction, and implications of this claim. It draws on historical sources, legal frameworks, and geopolitical analysis to expose the instrumentalization of history and the dangers of allowing political fiction to override historical truth and international law.
