Pakistan’s Economic and Demographic Prospects
February 21st, 2017
Via Future Directions International, a detailed look at Pakistan’s economic and demographic situation: Key Points Carved out of British colonial India, Pakistan was initially economically and socially successful. It subsequently became less so because of political decisions. The value to Pakistan of recent agricultural and economic agreements with Saudi Arabia and China is questionable. There […]
Read more »China And Kazakhstan’s Remote Cross-Border FTZ May Finally Be Set To Boom
February 13th, 2017
Via Forbes, an interesting look at a Chinese And Kazakh remote cross-border FTZ which may be ready to boom: The first time I visited the International Center for Boundary Cooperation “Khorgos” (ICBC) was in May of 2015. At that time, I found a bi-national free trade zone straddling the China / Kazakhstan border that was basically […]
Read more »Five Projects That Will Define The Success Of The China Pakistan Economic Corridor
February 13th, 2017
Via Frontera, a report on some key projects in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor: 1) The China – Pakistan Rail link is a controversial project that would effectively connect Pakistan’s Northwestern province with China’s western Xinxiang region, cutting through some of the most mountainous and treacherous terrain in the world, including the Khunjurab pass which […]
Read more »One Belt, One Road: China Aims To Build A Global Infrastructure Network
February 12th, 2017
Via MERICS China Mapping, a very detailed look at various components of China’s One Belt One Road Initiative:
Read more »The Blackwater of Jihad
February 10th, 2017
Via Foreign Policy, an interesting article on a consortium of elite, well-paid fighters from across the former Soviet Union who are training jihadis in Syria: Heavily armed and expertly kitted with body armor and ballistic helmets, the men can be seen defending bunkers, storming buildings, and even posing by whiteboards giving tactical lessons. Though the titles […]
Read more »Turkmenistan: A Struggle To Find New Gas Customers
February 9th, 2017
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a detailed look at Turkmenistan: Forecast Upcoming elections in Turkmenistan are all but guaranteed to give President Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov a third term in office. The country will struggle to open up new markets for its natural gas exports, a critical source of revenue, depriving it of leverage with its current buyers. […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.