The Soft Power of the Armenian Lobby in America and Conflicts in the South Caucasus: Considering the Developments of the Second Karabagh War

Lobbying by various governmental and non-governmental actors is an example of soft power in the realm of public or informal diplomacy which is done to influence the decisions and policy processes of governments and international organizations. Controversial issues in the relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in the South Caucasus have been one of the main issues of Armenian diaspora lobbying organizations in America in order to exercise soft power in favor of Armenians and Armenia. The recognition of the claim of Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the attempt for independence or the integration of the Karabagh region into Armenia, and the imposition of restrictions and sanctions against Turkey and Azerbaijan have been the most important lobbying goals of Armenians in the United States. Considering the role of the United States, its policies have been relatively influenced by Armenian lobbying in some cases. This research, in a descriptive-analytical way and relying on soft power, lobbying and influence theories, questioned the role of the Armenian lobby in the United States and reached the hypothesis that the role of the Armenian lobby in the policies of the United States, specially after the second war of Karabagh in 2020, is not the final determinant, but the American policies in the South Caucasus are a function of the level of the activity of the Armenian lobby on the one hand and the course of developments in the region alongside the transformation of American relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, on the other.