Putting Peace to the Vote: Displaced Persons and a Future Referendum on Nagorno-Karabakh

Fifteen years after the war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the conflictremains unresolved, and Azerbaijan remains host to one of theworld's largest per capita populations of internally displacedpersons (IDPs). Current plans for a settlement of the conflictenvision a crucial role for these IDPs, by proposing their returnand participation in a referendum to decide the future statusof the disputed territory. This article outlines several issuesthat need to be considered when arranging for such a referendum:what territory will the referendum concern, who will be eligibleto vote, what options will voters choose among, and how willthe results be determined? These issues arise from previousexperiences of peace processes that provided for referenda.In conclusion, the article argues that the referendum be arrangedin such a way as to increase uncertainty about the outcome,rather than gearing it towards one that seeks to confirm andlegitimize a solution negotiated by governments.