Courtesy of The New York Times, an interesting report on Laos. As the article notes: “…Hammer-and-sickle flags flutter above government offices in downtown Vientiane, and the entrance to the national museum is decorated with massive sculptures glorifying the workers’ revolutionary struggle. Officially, this sparsely populated country is still communist — and has been since 1975. […]
Read more »Via The Oil Drum, an in-depth look at Turkmenistan’s natural gas reserves. As the report notes: “…Turkmenistan holds significantly large quantities of natural gas (they hold the world’s fourth largest reserves) and these have, over the years, proved attractive to Russia, China and the West. Until fairly recently, despite some bad relationships from time to […]
Read more »While we do not endorse Nicholas Vardy’s Global Guru service, we did find a recent newsletter interesting due to its focus on other emerging economies. As the report noted: “…Investment bank Goldman Sachs compiled a list called the “Next 11” (N11) back in 2005 — countries it thinks can rival the BRICs in terms of […]
Read more »Via Energy Daily, a report that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently announced a 16-billion-dollar deal with China to drill for oil in the resource-rich Orinoco basin. As the article notes: “…a deal was signed in Beijing for the Orinoco basin. It sets out a Chinese investment of 16 billion dollars over the next three years,” […]
Read more »Via Global Geopolitics, another look at the “pipeline politics” of the growing petro-partnership between China and Myanmar. As the report notes: “…If military-ruled Burma needed a stark symbol of China’s growing dominance in the country, then it would be poised to get one soon. The Asian giant is about to start building two pipelines – […]
Read more »Via The Asia Times, a report on a recent meeting of Caspian states that could foreshadow the emergence of a new regional economic grouping. As the article notes: “…On September 11-13, the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan will meet in the Kazakh city of Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The […]
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