The book by Mher Sahakyan, China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative and Armenia, is not just a needed and most welcome addition to this body of literature: it brings valuable new insights into the study of Global Affairs in general. Exhaustively researched and meticulously detailed, this work shows how the reality is that China is pinning a large portion of its subtle global hegemonic hopes on the OBOR initiative (even if it is not formally declaring this to be so). Any attempts, therefore, to better understand all of the massive nuances and subtleties that are undoubtedly going to emerge as a consequence of its development are sorely needed. Even more so when you consider that to date most of the analyses of the OBOR deal only from the perspective of either Chinese global power or how the United States intends to counter it. A small portion of the literature is beginning to look at the Indian perspective of China’s rising influence through the OBOR, but aside from this there is a dangerous and disturbing lack of true expertise and analytical insight on how the initiative might impact the countries that are purposely designed and structured to actually be on China’s ‘belt’ and/or ‘road.’ Armenia is one of those destinations and as such this book becomes a model for all future case studies, a platform and rigorous foundation upon which other scholars can add their own unique geographical/foreign policy expertise. Taken in concert will be the only way to truly judge and ascertain the full scope and reach of the OBOR initiative. So kudos to Sahakyan for having the vision and ambition to be one of the first to attempt the building of this all-important global affairs platform and in so doing makes Armenia one of the leading producers of rigorous data on the OBOR initiative and its global impact. This book therefore can stand proudly as a strategic, political, and diplomatic pathway directly to the OBOR initiatives while still taking into consideration the obligatory challenges, opportunities, risks, and possibilities.

Prof. Matthew Crosston, PhD 

Senior Doctoral Faculty, American Military University, School of Security and Global Studies

Doctoral Studies in Strategic Intelligence / Global Security

https://americanmilitary.academia.edu/DrMatthewCrosston

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Book Review

Мгер Саакян. Инициатива Китая «Один пояс, один путь» и Армения. Ереван. Фонд “Совет политических и стратегических исследований “Китай-Евразия””. 2019[1].[2] (Мher Sahakyan, China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative and Armenia, “‘China-Eurasia, Council for Political and Strategic Research” Foundation, Yerevan, 2019.)

[1] Mger Saakjan. Iniciativa Kitaja «Odin pojas, odin put’» i Armenija. Erevan. Fond “Sovet politicheskih i strategicheskih issledovanij “Kitaj-Evrazija””. 2019

[2] Մհեր Սահակյան, Չինաստանի «Մեկ գոտի, մեկ ճանապարհ» նախաձեռնությունը և Հայաստանը, Երևան, Նորավանք ԳԿՀ, 2018: (Mher Sahakyan, «Mek goti, mek twanaparh naxad’er’nowt’yowny’ & Hayastany’», e’j 39, Er&an, 2018:)

Source: CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1)