Carey Cavanaugh: Nagorno-Karabakh: War, Peace, and Diplomacy in the South Caucasus

Please join the Fletcher Eurasia Club for a virtual talk by Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh on the current diplomatic and military state of play over Nagorno-Karabakh, the roles of Russia and Turkey in the South Caucasus, the ramifications of the conflict throughout Eurasia, and its possible settlement. Intense fighting broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020. In 44 days of hostilities, thousands died, over 130,000 people were displaced, and enormous damage was done to civilian infrastructure. Peacekeepers were deployed and the fighting stopped on November 10 under a surprise Russia-brokered agreement, the terms of which might topple the Armenian government. Please make sure to register via myFletcher to participate in the event on Zoom.

Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh had a U.S. Foreign Service career centered on peace efforts and humanitarian affairs, which included diplomatic postings in Berlin, Moscow, Tbilisi, Rome, and Bern, and domestic assignments at the State Department, the Pentagon, and on Capitol Hill. In 1992, he led the team that established the American Embassy to the new Republic of Georgia. Under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Cavanaugh spearheaded or helped advance peace initiatives involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkey. The U.S. Senate confirmed him in 2000 as Ambassador/Special Negotiator responsible for Eurasian conflicts and U.S. Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group, which is tasked with assisting the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In 2006, Cavanaugh became a tenured full professor at the University of Kentucky and director of its Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. He led this 60-year old master's degree program for a decade before taking a sabbatical to be a visiting fellow at Clare College at the University of Cambridge and executive-in-residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. His teaching ranges from conflict mediation and ethics to U.S.-Russian relations and the diplomacy surrounding nuclear weapons. His research focuses primarily on diplomacy and peace efforts in the South Caucasus. Cavanaugh remains active in conflict resolution, consulting with governments as well as international organizations and assisting NGOs with Track II diplomatic efforts and civil society initiatives. He is currently chairman of the peacebuilding organization International Alert, which maintains offices in 19 countries, partnering with local organizations to support people and institutions to better anticipate and manage conflict. Cavanaugh is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame, and he studied at the U.S. Army Russian Institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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