Ashes of Our Fathers

Description

On 19 September 2023, war broke out once again in Nagorno-Karabakh, a tiny breakaway state nestled in the mountains at the very edge of Europe.

This geopolitical hotspot had been fought over since the Soviet Union fell, with tens of thousands dead and up to a million homeless. This time, though, was different. Within 24 hours, Armenian forces surrendered to Azerbaijan, as Russian peacekeepers abandoned their posts—and the entire population packed their bags to flee.

Through the stories of ordinary Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Gabriel Gavin chronicles how Nagorno-Karabakh went from an ancient home shared by both peoples to a battle-scarred land of empty houses and untended graves. Ashes of Our Fathers reveals a simmering ethnic conflict inside the Kremlin’s self-declared sphere of influence; the lives and loyalties of the people caught up in the chaos; and the decisions, from Yerevan and Baku to Moscow and Washington to Tel Aviv and Tehran, that enabled one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 2020s.

Reviews

‘A deeply insightful and sensitive account, capturing the complexity and heartbreak of this conflict.’ — Jade McGlynn, author of Memory Makers and Russia’s War 

‘Gavin’s sharp writing will transport you right to the frontlines of Europe’s neglected conflict. He paints a devastating picture of avoidable human suffering, seamlessly weaving together geopolitical insights, historical analysis and vivid personal stories. A must-read.’ — Ian Garner, author of Z Generation and Assistant Professor, Center for Totalitarian Studies, Pilecki Institute

‘A gripping account of a quickly forgotten tragedy. This is a carefully balanced, deeply insightful book, highlighting the extreme costs of ethnic strife, and the cynical opportunism of foreign powers who could have helped, but chose to look away.’ — Sergey Radchenko, author of To Run the World: The Kremlin’s Cold War Bid for Global Power

‘This compelling narrative offers important insights into Russia’s “Great Game” of the twenty-first century. If Western policymakers don’t want to fall for Putin’s gambit in the South Caucasus, they must read this book.’ — Ivana Stradner, Special Correspondent, Kyiv Post, and Research Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Author(s)

Gabriel Gavin is a journalist and writer from Oxford, England. He has covered the politics and foreign affairs of the former Soviet Union and Turkey as a reporter for Politico, as well as for outlets including Time, Foreign Policy and The Spectator. This is his first book.