Via the Salt Lake City Tribune, an interesting article on Mongolia: Burger King has opened its first store in sparsely populated Mongolia, joining companies from Pizza Hut to Porsche in anticipating an economic boom from the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine. Sandwiched between China and Russia, Mongolia has long been dependent on mining and […]
Read more »Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), analysis of the impact of the global economic downturn on Latin America: In its first regionwide downturn since 2009, Latin America’s economy is projected to contract by 0.3 percent in 2015 according to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook. A confluence of factors, including a collapse in commodity prices, […]
Read more »Courtesy of the Financial Times, a report on how Beijing’s attempts to tame energy-rich Xinjiang may be stoking unrest from its ethnic Uighurs: As one of the world’s most remote and landlocked regions, Xinjiang is not high on the itinerary for foreign dignitaries visiting China. So when George Osborne, the UK’s chancellor, made a special request […]
Read more »Courtesy of the Financial Times, an interesting article on China’s new Silk Road initiative: “The granaries in all the towns are brimming with reserves, and the coffers are full with treasures and gold, worth trillions,” wrote Sima Qian, a Chinese historian living in the 1st century BC. “There is so much money that the ropes […]
Read more »Via The Financial Times, an interesting look at ISIS’s petroleum economy: On the outskirts of al-Omar oilfield in eastern Syria, with warplanes flying overhead, a line of trucks stretches for 6km. Some drivers wait for a month to fill up with crude. Falafel stalls and tea shops have sprung up to cater to the drivers, […]
Read more »Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), an detailed analysis of Bolivia’s economic prospects: After nearly a decade in power, Bolivian President Evo Morales seems poised to extend his rule even further. On Sept. 26, Bolivia’s National Congress accepted Morales’ petition to hold a national referendum in February 2016 on his ability to seek a fourth term […]
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