[NASA Test Pilot]

This is presented as a continuation and deepening of the 6th element as well as linking with post #32, #42, and #50 on this Geo-Political thread as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict thread here:

thread-54904.html

Part I

This is part of controlling the fulcrum and applying specific pressure across three ancient empires (Russian, Persian, and Ottoman) to play them off against one another in order to control the trade conduit and the resources of the region. A few of the specific pressures as they relate to U.S. hegemony include surrounding Russia as well as Iran and maintaining a handle on Turkey.

Since 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh has been an independent state, but some countries refuse to recognize it as such.

The current country of Azerbaijan is now more of a 20th century creation, created by Stalin who ordered the border in order to contain the Armenians as well as keeping the Azeris occupied. These countries can trace their modern origins back to 10,000 B.C. and the Guruchay culture.

The (first) Persian Empire known as the Achaemenid Empire was formerly Kingdom of Media (under Medes is sometimes technically considered the first Persian Empire), the Kingdom of Lydia, and the Babylonian Empire during in the 6th – 4th century B.C. under Cyrus (II) the Great (who rebelled against his grandfather the Mede king). Cyrus created the role of Satraps or Governors.




Culturally the empire was more aligned with the Ancient Persians and it expanded further under Darius III in the 4th century B.C. After the death of Darius III, the area (Atropatene) being governed Atropates surrendered to Alexander (the Great). Alexander retained the satrapic administration. After replacing the area with a new governor (satrap), Alexander eventually returned Atropates to power and married his daughter to one of his commanders. Atropatene included the southern part of modern day Azerbaijan.

After Alexander´s death, the empire was divided amongst the Diadochi (rival generals) under the partition of Babylon.



--note both Media and Lesser Media should be colored red on this map.


Part of the division included the Seleucid Empire, where the satrap generally was designated as strategos; but their provinces were much smaller than under the Persians. The Seleucid Empire was a major center of Hellenistic culture that maintained a preeminence of Greek customs where a Greek political elite dominated, although much of the population was Persian as well as some being Assyrian and Anatolian (Turkish) in origin. The first king was Seleucus I Nicator.




This is KEY…. Atropates refused to pay allegiance to Seleucus I, and made Media Atropatene an independent kingdom (this was 1,000 years before the Mohammed). It subsequently lost the Media prefix in the name and came to be known as Atropatene. The former Achaemenid satrapy of Media was divided into two states: The greater (southern) part; Media Magna was assigned to Peithon, one of Alexander's bodyguards (not to be confused with Peithon, son of Agenor, who was satrap of the Indus). The smaller (northern) region referred to as Lesser Media, which had been the sub-satrapy of Matiene, became Media Atropatene under Atropates, the former Achaemenid governor of all Media, who had by then become father-in-law of Perdiccas, regent of Alexander's designated successor.

Things escalate between, Media Magna under Peithon and Matiene (Lesser Media that later was called Melitene by the Romans) under Atropatene.

Below is a 1st century map of Caucasian Albania and Atropatene. Caucasian Albania is the modern day Republic of Azerbaijan (sometimes referred to as northern Azerbaijan). Atropatene is the modern day Iranian Azerbaijan (sometimes referred to as southern Azerbaijan or Caucasian Azerbaijan by the Iranians).




Another element of this relates to Geo-politics and the Kurds (which is part of the modern day fulcrum). It has been suggested (by a Russian linguist) that Medes, who widely inhabited the land where currently the Kurds form the majority, might have been forefathers of the modern Kurds (see also post#42). Others have identified Kurdish dialects as Parthian, albeit with a Median substratum. See also the language map on post #11 of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Thread. One of the things to consider is how political policy backed by military force discourages/encourages immigration and emigration. Parts of Armenia have changed significantly over the past 100 years and this serves as an example of the weaponization of immigration/emigration that is underway in Europe. I postulate that this was and is by design in both locations.

I would also make a note of caution here as Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran use different types of disinformation and manipulations in information warfare. It is a challenge to paint an objective picture.

Here is an example Pan-Iranist ideology (who claim that all of Azerbaijan (beginning in the 7th century B.C.) and even Armenia have been a part of Iran) in the early 1920s in opposition to Pan-Turkism (denying the Armenians’ historical and legal rights as to the western part of their homeland of Western Armenia, Cilician Armenia and Armenian Mesopotamia, which were subjected to the Armenian genocide, as well as to the eastern part of their homeland of the liberated lands of Artsakh) and Pan-Arabism (who claim the Persian Gulf should be the Arabian Gulf). These types of ideologies (with and without facts) are driving Geo-politics.




In the 1st century B.C. the Sythians (Greek name for nomad), and Parthians (mostly Persian and antagonistic with the Armenians) along with the western part of Modern Georgia (as the eastern edge of the Roman Empire) formed the fulcrum. Seleucid expansion into Anatolia (Turkey and into the Armenian highlands) and Greece was halted after crushing defeats by the Roman army (see other posts). This was another major acceleration of hostilities that previously began some 300 hundred beforehand, and yet 700 years before the Muslim conquests.

The Seleucid dynasty gradually lost control of Persia over the next few centuries. In approximately 253 A.D., the Arsacid dynasty established itself in Parthia. Parthia was at the center of the silk Road. The dynasty founded by Atropates would rule the kingdom for several centuries, first independently, then as vassals of the Arsacids (who called it ´Aturpatakan´). It was eventually annexed by the Arsacids, who then lost it to the Sassanids (and later Dabuyid), who again called it ´Aturpatakan.´ Sometime between 639 and 643 the Arabs under the Rashidun (1st Caliphate) took control of the area during the reign of Umar. Atropatene formed a separate province of the early Islamic caliphate and was considered to have had strategic importance. It was during the Arab period that Middle Iranian (i.e. Parthian and Middle Persian) Aturpatakan became Adarbaygan or Azerbaijan.




This continued with the Rashidun Caliphate were 2 more Caliphates, then 3 more dynasties, an Empire, another dynasty, The Mongol Empire and Ilkhanate, 7 rival dynasties, 6 more dynasties and ended with Pahlavi Dynasty in 1979 and Mohammad Reza (Shah) Pahlavi.

Part II continues due to limitation of pictures.