In Nagorno-Karabakh, the Cycle of Ethnic Cleansing Continues

A woman walks past a store damaged by recent shelling during the ongoing military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the disputed province's capital of Stepanakert, on Nov. 4. Karen Minasyan/AFP via Getty Images

YEREVAN, Armenia—As Azerbaijani forces continue to advance in Nagorno-Karabakh, the region is facing a very real risk of massive ethnic cleansing—again.

This war began on Sept. 27. Already hundreds of people have been killed, waves of hatred have engulfed both societies, and international diplomats’ efforts to stem the violence have had little effect. It is the most dangerous moment in the region since the two sides fought their first war in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.