What has become common in activist spaces is that ideological alignment overrides human lives. Iranian politics cannot be simplified and reduced to “West vs. East” narratives while leaving serious domestic issues unaddressed.

There is a stigma around the term ‘proxy’. It invokes a caricature of a puppet master pulling strings. In the context of conflict, it suggests that one party is being forced to fight and die at the direction of a more powerful party. In reality, there are no puppets, only actors with layered motivations and abilities.

Of all the wars Trump claims to have resolved, the peace initiative between Azerbaijan and Armenia may be the most strategically significant. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been alternating between hot wars and frozen conflicts for the last 37 years.