This review examines Mher Harutyunyan’s monograph «Military Construction in Artsakh, 1991–2006», which provides a foundational historical and strategic analysis of the military-institutional development of the Republic of Artsakh during its formative post-Soviet period. The monograph offers a multidimensional exploration of the establishment, consolidation, and doctrinal evolution of the Defense Army of Artsakh (DAA), framed within the geopolitical and security challenges posed by Azerbaijani aggression.
Key thematic directions addressed in the monograph include: the institutionalization of armed forces and defense governance (1992–1994), the development of military infrastructure and logistics under resource-limited conditions, the training and professionalization of officer corps through both domestic and international frameworks, and the implementation of territorial defense and fortification strategies in the post-ceasefire period (1994–2006).
The review highlights the author’s effective use of primary sources, including classified archival materials, official publications, military press, and personal testimonies, many of which have gained unique historiographic value following the forced displacement of Artsakh’s population in 2023.
Particular attention is paid to the book’s conceptual contributions to the understanding of military construction as a key component of state-building under conditions of political non-recognition and existential threat. The monograph is not merely a descriptive chronology but a systematic and theoretically informed analysis that interfaces military history with national security studies, conflict theory, and institutional resilience.
The review underscores the work’s relevance for academic disciplines such as military history, political science, and strategic studies. It also notes its potential utility for policy planners and defense professionals concerned with the design of adaptive and context-specific national security strategies, especially in contested regions.
In light of its methodological rigor, originality, and applied analytical insights, the monograph represents a significant contribution to the evolving field of post-Soviet military transformations and de facto state studies.