CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 126

BOOK REVIEW
Мгер Саакян, Инициатива Китая «Один пояс, один путь» и
Армения, Ереван, Фонд “Совет политических и стратегических
исследований “Китай-Евразия””, 2019, 1 (Мher Sahakyan, China’s One
Belt, One Road Initiative and Armenia, “‘China-Eurasia, Council for
Political and Strategic Research” Foundation, Yerevan, 2019).
Prof. Matthew Crosston, PhD
Senior Doctoral Faculty, American Military University, School of Security
and Global Studies
Doctoral Studies in Strategic Intelligence / Global Security
Co-Editor, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
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
Մհեր Սահակյան, Չինաստանի «Մեկ գոտի, մեկ ճանապարհ» նախաձեռնությունը և
Հայաստանը, Երևան, Նորավանք ԳԿՀ, 2018
1
126