EurasiaNet: morale and combat readiness in Armenia’s army higher than in Azerbaijan’s

February 14, 2011 - 12:27 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - One of the most interesting parts of the recent International Crisis Group report, was its speculation about what would happen in a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh, according to a publication in EurasiaNet.

“It concluded that, while Azerbaijan has an obvious advantage in military spending, a variety of other factors could give Armenia an edge. A premeditated resumption of hostilities by Armenian forces is not likely, but cannot be ruled out, as Yerevan commentators and some military officials, notably in Nagorno Karabakh, warn of a “preventive war” if the entity comes under imminent threat,” the article says.

“Morale and combat readiness in Armenia’s army is also generally considered to be higher than in Azerbaijan’s, which suffers from past defeats, extensive corruption and a rigid chain of command. Armenian analysts point to the greater number of Azerbaijani casualties in most front-line skirmishes. Suicides and hazing in the Azerbaijani forces are also regularly reported. However, a recent spate of fatal hazing and other non-combat-related deaths, particularly in units in Nagorno Karabakh, signal that Armenian superiority in morale may be exaggerated. If war started, Azerbaijan civilians would be the more vulnerable, as cities, towns and new IDP settlements are close to the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact. Major Karabakh Armenian settlements are deeper within territory the entity controls, and its troops are mostly deployed in sparsely populated zones,” it says.