Via Harvard University’s Belfer Center and? Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, a very detailed look at Turkmenistan’s energy potential by Martha Brill Olcott, Ph.D. – Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: I. Introduction Turkmenistan has enormous gas reserves, estimated at 13.4 trillion cubic meters (473.2 trillion cubic […]
Read more »Via BBC, a report on China’s growing appetite for Turkmen natural gas: China is a country facing huge environmental challenges as it pursues economic growth. One of its aims is to reduce its dependence on coal and switch to alternative energy sources like gas. So at an energy conference in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, China […]
Read more »Via Foreign Policy, an interesting look at Rason, a special economic zone far from the police state in Pyongyang: For the few who have ever been to North Korea, it might be a familiar feeling: that of being inside a country, while at the same time feeling outside of it. Visitors stroll through the streets […]
Read more »Via Foreign Policy, an interesting look at Erbil where, with the Islamic State on their doorstep, Kurdish leaders have scaled back their once grandiose ambitions to focus on ensuring the survival of their enclave: Unused escalators rise up to bare concrete floors in the Ankawa mall; particle-board dividers form makeshift living spaces. Instead of shoppers […]
Read more »Via The Conversation, an interesting commentary on the potential impact fiber connectivity could have upon Africa’s development: The excitement over the potentially transformative effects of the internet in low-income countries is nowhere more evident than in East Africa – the last major populated region of the world to gain a wired connection to the internet. […]
Read more »Via Business Insider, a look at Venezuela’s accelerating economic crisis: Venezuelan investors are abandoning ship en masse after the government indicated that it would not take immediate measures to stop the country from sinking deeper into chaos. “I am scared as hell,” one Latin American bond trader said. “Default [is] likely within 12 months; the oil […]
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