Publication

The August war of 2008 in Georgia shows that unresolved territorial conflicts in the countries of the former Soviet Union remain a security risk for the states concerned as well as for Europe, as they can flare up at again. Further unresolved conflicts of this kind exist between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh as well as in Moldova concerning Transnistria. External actors are involved in all of these conflicts. While the risk of a military conflict in Moldova remains low, the heightened arms dynamic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh on one side and Azerbaijan on the other point to an increased risk of war, even though it was diminished after the August war due to the intensified political efforts of the Minsk Group and the process of normalization in Turkish-Armenian relations.