Making The Call: Roshan – The Only B Corporation In Afghanistan
December 14th, 2019
Via Quartz, an interesting look at one of the early telecommunications companies in Afghanistan: This is the story of an 18-year-old project. Like many coming-of-age stories, it’s hopeful, but with a fierce undertow of loss. Since its inception in 2003, Roshan has grown to become the biggest telecoms operator in Afghanistan, and the superlatives don’t […]
Read more »Afghanistan Prepares for a Financial Future Without the U.S.
December 13th, 2019
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), a look at Afghanistan’s current and future economic condition: A year ahead of the U.S. 2020 presidential election, Washington appears to have revived its latest attempt at a peace deal with the Taliban. On Nov. 28, U.S. President Donald Trump visited Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where he met his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, […]
Read more »The Geopolitics of the Wakhan Corridor
December 13th, 2019
Via Harvard International Review, an article on the Wakhan Corridor: Afghanistan is the very definition of a geopolitical pivot. Long called the “Graveyard of Empires,” the country still lures larger powers keen on exerting influence in Central Asia, and the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land protruding out of Afghanistan like the handle of […]
Read more »Is New Russia-China Gas Pipeline A Threat To Turkmenistan?
December 9th, 2019
Via Eurasia.net, a look at how Russia – with the new Power of Siberia pipeline – is threatening Turkmenistan’s position as China’s largest source of gas: Russia’s mega-project to export its gas to China, the Power of Siberia pipeline, came online December 2. By 2024, the pipeline is expected to deliver 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually. […]
Read more »Iran Faces Deeper Economic Peril
December 7th, 2019
Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, commentary on the precarious state of Iran’s economy: While Iran’s sanction-battered economy has sparked protests across the nation, U.S. officials cite new intelligence suggesting Tehran’s finances are more dire than previously thought and bringing it closer to a financial crisis. Tehran’s sophisticated sanction-evasion efforts have offset some of the losses from plummeting oil exports due […]
Read more »Who Will Win Ethiopia’s Telecoms Race?
December 7th, 2019
Via Mobile World Live, commentary on the likely contenders if/when Ethiopia’s telecom market is opened up: In 2020, Ethiopia is set to split its telecoms monopoly and open the market to competition. The move will represent a rare opportunity for operators to enter a huge country with a large proportion of unconnected citizens and low data penetration […]
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.