The Chinese have forged closer relations with his regime to ensure stability in a border country and to buffer against America's increasing assertiveness in Asia.

FORBES: Magazine Article

It is hoped that this no-man's-land can act as a buffer between cattle-raiding groups and brand the new country as the green heart of Africa.

ECONOMIST: South Sudan

Protected by uninhabited forests to the north, the Rockies in the west and arid country in the south, authorities set up a 323-mile long, 18-mile wide buffer zone along the other place rats might enter, Alberta's eastern border with Saskatchewan.

WSJ: In Alberta, Citizens Smell a Rat After Long-Banned Rodents Appear