Sergey Barov

Bio: Sergey Barov is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: China & East Asia. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 3 citations.

Grand Strategies in Contested Zones: Japan’s Indo-Pacific, China’s BRI and Eastern Africa

Abstract: Japan’s intention of creating a Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy will potentially combine the strategic interests of four countries ( Japan, India, the US and Australia), the political and economic potential of two continents (Asia and Africa), and two oceans (Indian and Pacific). This vision seeks to improve connectivity, promote stability and foster prosperity in the wider region while also attempting to counter the hegemony of any particular state. Should this nascent strategy be suitably defined and implemented by Japan and its lynchpin partners, it may prove revolutionary in reinforcing the current balance of power across much of the globe. This article looks at Japan’s relationship with eastern Africa and attempts to define its policy alternatives vis-à-vis the region by locating them contextually. It argues that states of eastern Africa possess complex foreign policies and a web of connections to rising powers that are often ignored or misunderstood, thus making strategies pursued by large powers such as China, India or Japan potentially fraught with difficulty as they may become enmeshed in regional power squabbles.

A Study on the PRC-DPRK Alliance: Focusing on Historical Development of Alliance

Abstract: : The PRC-DPRK alliance has shown strong resiliency during the past six decades despite numerous challenges both within and outside the bilateral relations. The last nuclear test conducted by North Korea in early 2013 has brought the relations to a nadir. It is difficult to assess the current state of affairs between China and the DPRK; however, one aspect that is certain is that it has fundamentally changed in contrast to their old relationship during the Cold War period. The purpose of this study is to predict how changes in the bilateral relationship between China and the DPRK will affect the international security environment in the near future and suggest the implications for ROK's national security based on historical analysis. In this study, there are several key periods (strengthened and weakened junctures) in the PRC-North Korea alliance from the Kim Il-sung era to the Kim Jong-eun era, which will be examined using the historical comparative analysis perspective in order to assess the continuities and discontinuities of PRC-DPRK alliance in the future.