Global Perspectives on China's Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

Iran as a 'Civilizational Crossroads' in the Belt and Road Geography Mohammadbagher Forough 13 Exploring the Political, Economic, and Social Implications of the Digital Silk Road into East Africa The Case of Ethiopia Sanne van der Lugt ContributorsThis book would not have been possible without the assistance and continuous efforts of numerous people. The LeidenAsiaCentre's manager, Lily Sprangers, has worked tirelessly to coordinate our editorial work, aided by our project manager, Jonas Lammertink, and they have the heartfelt gratitude of our entire team of researchers. Nicholas Olczak has done an excellent job copy-editing this book, with much of the work taking place at the eleventh hour, and we are deeply grateful for his assistance. Then there are our contributors, who have engaged in highly productive and collegial debate throughout the span of the project, and it has been a pleasure seeing them work together and create these insightful studies. Work on this project was made ever more difficult as the Coronavirus crisis unfolded, and I am very thankful to everyone involved for staying committed to the project during such unprecedented and difficult times. Substantial parts of our debates about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and about the relevance of actors and agency, took place outside of Leiden University. We would like to thank the EU Centre in Singapore, especially its director, Yeo Lay Hwee, for hosting a fruitful conference on BRI-related developments in January 2020. Our discussions at Nanyang Technological University very much shaped our thinking on this complex topic and now inform many aspects of this book.Finally, our gratitude goes to our editors at Amsterdam University Press for all their help and assistance along the way, especially to Saskia Gieling, who has been instrumental in bringing this book to press.The LeidenAsiaCentre is an academic institution. Its research is funded independently and is not subject to partisan influence.