Archive for April, 2021

Iran’s Pivot To Central Asia

Via the Jamestown Foundation, an article on Iran’s renewed focus on Central Asia: High-ranking officials from Iran and Tajikistan made a total of three visits to Dushanbe and Tehran, respectively, in less than two months, a significant sign that after years of frosty relations, diplomatic ties are finally improving (Khovar, February 23, March 29, April 5). Even more […]

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Central Asia’s Afghan Route to Prosperity

Via Project Syndicate, an article on how two new mega-projects connecting Central and South Asia could transform Eurasian security, significantly increase regional economic activity, and potentially bring peace at last to Afghanistan: For the first time in centuries, there is an opportunity to connect Central and South Asia via modern transport and energy corridors through […]

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Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Looks Beyond Resource Roots

Courtesy of The Financial Times, an article on Abu Dhabi’s investment fund which is cutting energy and commodity holdings as it turns focus to tech: Abu Dhabi’s most active investment fund Mubadala is turning away from its roots as it cuts its holdings in energy and other commodity-related assets while ramping up investments in technology, healthcare […]

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China-Iran Pact Boosts Pakistan’s Trade Hub Dream

Via The Asia Times, a report on  how Islamabad’s rhetorical shift to all things ‘geo-economic’ has been influenced by China’s $400 billion plan for neighbouring Iran: When China and Iran recently announced their landmark 25-year economic and security agreement, Pakistan’s military leadership was coincidently touting its new “geo-economic vision” for more infrastructure development and integration in […]

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Pro-Environment Politics Won’t Deter Demand for Greenland’s Resources

Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), an article on the race for Greenland’s mineral resources: The appointment of an environmentalist government will temporarily delay mining operations in Greenland. But a combination of economic needs, pressure from great powers and opportunities created by climate change will result in growing international competition to exploit the island’s natural resources. […]

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Pakistan Takes Desperate Measures To Revive Gwadar

Via Nikkei Asia, a report on Pakistan’s increasingly desperate measures to revive the Belt and Road’s Gwadar port: Pakistan’s federal and regional governments are taking a series of actions, including giving the status of regional subcapital and promoting tourism, to revive the struggling town of Gwadar, whose port — built and operated by the Chinese — […]

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WILDCATS AND BLACK SHEEP
Wildcats & Black Sheep is a personal interest blog dedicated to the identification and evaluation of maverick investment opportunities arising in frontier - and, what some may consider to be, “rogue” or “black sheep” - markets around the world.

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.