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Due to energy, economic, and strategic concerns, the African Continent has been attracting significant attention from the rest of the world. Countries in Asia are no exception to this growing tendency. Although there has been much discussion and analysis about such large Asian powers as China, India, and Japan's relationships with Africa, an analysis on South Korea, a medium power's, interactions with the African Continent has been absent. Like its neighbors, Seoul has been actively engaging with the Continent for various reasons, and their activities will only grow and be intensified. The paper seeks to analyze South Korea's economic, energy, and strategic relationships with Africa. First, it will provide a brief historical background. Then it will analyze the reasons behind Seoul's recent attention to the Continent. Evaluations of different issue areas will be followed. The paper will conclude with policy implications on Seoul's role in Africa in particular and a medium power's foreign policy in general. This study will contribute to the development of medium power foreign policy theory as well as the improvement of the relationships between South Korea and countries in Africa. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The startling findings of Goldman Sachs'2003 report about the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), the continuous rapid economic growth of BRIC countries, and their much closer bilateral relationships have raised significant questions-Are the BRIC countries able to work together as an alliance? If a BRIC alliance could be created, what influences would it play regionally and internationally, and how will other big powers respond? Unfortunately, it is hard to get the answers to these questions from existing literatures because not only there have been few works that study the BRICs so far, but current studies on the BRICs are mainly made from an economic perspective. The analysis of potential political and strategic influences of the BRICs has been ignored or underdeveloped. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is, to certain extent, to fill this blank.In this paper, I first establish a theoretical framework of a modern alliance of states. Subsequently under this framework, I analyze the realistic possibility of establishing a BRIC alliance by surveying the increased bilateral relations that have been occurring between the BRIC countries, primarily since the turn of the century. Besides the driving-forces to the alliance creation and the potential gains that the BRIC countries can get by working together, the obstacles to their cooperation will be studies as well. Third, I briefly predict if a BRIC alliance could be created, what influences it would play on Asian politics and the Asia-Pacific relations, and what relevant possible responses from other powers to possible future directions of the BRIC alliance. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]