Nakhichevan

IWPR carries a report on Nakhichevan, an exclave of Azerbaijan separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. Its status as a poor sub-dictatorship under Vasif Talibov is perpetuated by the ongoing Karabakh conflict with Armenia, which cuts it off economically from the rest of the country while causing the government in Baku to maintain tight control due to its strategic importance. Like Karabakh, it was part of Armenia before Stalin, though my sense is that the Armenians don't care about it as much. In any case, count this as yet another reason that the end of the Karabakh conflict would be good for all involved.