THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE SECURITY DILEMMA AND STRUCTURAL REALISM
Keywords:
security dilemma, religion, Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, threat perception, identityAbstract
This paper analyzes the role of religion as a significant and constitutive factor within
the framework of the Theory of the Security Dilemma, with a particular focus on its
manifestation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Although
dominant neorealist literature conceptualizes the security dilemma as a phenomenon arising
from the anarchic structure of the international system and the material distribution of power,
this study demonstrates that religion, as a non-material category, fundamentally influences
how states interpret the intentions of other actors and perceive strategic signals in an
environment marked by deep mutual distrust. The historical religious identities—Armenia’s
Apostolic tradition and the Shi’a Islamic cultural matrix of Azerbaijan—create stable cognitive
frameworks that shape political processes, security expectations, and feelings of existential
vulnerability, thereby intensifying the persistent instability of the conflict. The research further
indicates that religion plays a significant role in the symbolic marking of territory, complicating
the prospects for compromise and reinforcing the perception that territorial loss constitutes a
loss of spiritual, historical, and cultural continuity. The findings confirm that religion is not a
passive cultural marker but an active variable that deepens strategic misinterpretations,
intensifies fears, and fuels escalating confrontation. The conclusion emphasizes that
integrating religious and identity-based dimensions into contemporary theoretical models of
the security dilemma is essential for a more accurate understanding of instability, recurring
escalation processes, and the limited prospects for peaceful resolution of conflicts such as the
one in Nagorno-Karabakh.
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