Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects

The article examines restricting factors in international cooperation, drawing a comparative analysis of two cases on cross-border infrastructure projects: the Gyeongui railway line that connects North and South Korea and the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway line that links Turkey and Armenia. In both ca...

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Main Author: Yongsung Cho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2021-12-01
Series:RUDN Journal of Political Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/26541/19382
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spelling doaj-67a8ad5ef4314325ad425d6b031673902021-05-25T18:03:36ZengPeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)RUDN Journal of Political Science2313-14382313-14462021-12-0123222523210.22363/2313-1438-2021-23-2-225-23220067Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway ProjectsYongsung Cho0Saint Petersburg State UniversityThe article examines restricting factors in international cooperation, drawing a comparative analysis of two cases on cross-border infrastructure projects: the Gyeongui railway line that connects North and South Korea and the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway line that links Turkey and Armenia. In both cases, states involved strive for the normalization of diplomatic relations and border openness as well as potential economic opportunities and national security. Nevertheless, neither Seoul and Pyongyang nor Ankara and Yerevan succeeded in building a sustainable cooperation framework. While the outcome is the same, independent variables in both cases are different. Firstly, two Koreas have been in a military confrontation for seven decades, whereas Turkey and Armenia never engaged in a direct conflict. Secondly, the configuration of alliances (South Korea and the United States and Turkey and Azerbaijan) weakens the decision-making on the troublesome infrastructure projects. Consequently, alliances are identified as one the key factors that determine the mode of international cooperation.http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/26541/19382cooperationrailwayallianceinter-korean relationsturkeyarmenia
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Yongsung Cho
spellingShingle Yongsung Cho
Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
RUDN Journal of Political Science
cooperation
railway
alliance
inter-korean relations
turkey
armenia
author_facet Yongsung Cho
author_sort Yongsung Cho
title Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
title_short Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
title_full Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
title_fullStr Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
title_full_unstemmed Effects of a Threat and Alliance on International Cooperation: Comparison of Inter-Korean and Turkish-Armenian Railway Projects
title_sort effects of a threat and alliance on international cooperation: comparison of inter-korean and turkish-armenian railway projects
publisher Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
series RUDN Journal of Political Science
issn 2313-1438
2313-1446
publishDate 2021-12-01
description The article examines restricting factors in international cooperation, drawing a comparative analysis of two cases on cross-border infrastructure projects: the Gyeongui railway line that connects North and South Korea and the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway line that links Turkey and Armenia. In both cases, states involved strive for the normalization of diplomatic relations and border openness as well as potential economic opportunities and national security. Nevertheless, neither Seoul and Pyongyang nor Ankara and Yerevan succeeded in building a sustainable cooperation framework. While the outcome is the same, independent variables in both cases are different. Firstly, two Koreas have been in a military confrontation for seven decades, whereas Turkey and Armenia never engaged in a direct conflict. Secondly, the configuration of alliances (South Korea and the United States and Turkey and Azerbaijan) weakens the decision-making on the troublesome infrastructure projects. Consequently, alliances are identified as one the key factors that determine the mode of international cooperation.
topic cooperation
railway
alliance
inter-korean relations
turkey
armenia
url http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/article/viewFile/26541/19382
work_keys_str_mv AT yongsungcho effectsofathreatandallianceoninternationalcooperationcomparisonofinterkoreanandturkisharmenianrailwayprojects
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