China in Afghanistan: Rare Opportunity or Poisoned Chalice?
January 27th, 2023
Via Geopolitical Futures, commentary on China’s interest and role in Afghanistan: The foreign ministers of China and Afghanistan spoke for nearly an hour on Jan. 22 about Afghanistan’s economic development and ensuring the security of Chinese personnel involved in Afghan projects. This followed the signing on Jan. 5 of an oil extraction agreement between China’s […]
Read more »Lavrov’s Africa Trip Reveals Limits to Russian Soft Economic Power
January 27th, 2023
Via The Moscow Times, commentary on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent visit to South Africa, Eswatini, and Angola: The focus of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to South Africa, Eswatini, and Angola this week has been the portrayal of Russia as a partner for the continent’s development and security, especially in the energy sector. The tour also had an overtly […]
Read more »The Af-Pak Dollar Cartel
January 27th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, commentary on how the black market flow of U.S. dollars across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is unifying the two countries’ economic crises. On Wednesday, the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) removed the cap on the U.S. dollar’s exchange rate. This prompted the Pakistani rupee to fall by 1.2 percent, to 243 against the U.S. dollar […]
Read more »China: BRI Financing to Remain Low, Leaving Global South in the Lurch
January 27th, 2023
Via RANE Worldview, analysis of China’s BRI financing in 2023: What Happened: According to a study conducted by the Global Development Policy Center at Boston Univerity, China has significantly reduced the scale of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) financing in recent years as part of a strategic shift that has seen Beijing focus on more […]
Read more »North Korea Mines New Revenue Sources in Its Trade With China
January 27th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a report on the latest data which shows Pyongyang is continuing to adapt to U.N. sanctions, while trade is beginning to rebound from pandemic lows: North Korea has spent much of the pandemic financing its weapons programs and imports with stolen cryptocurrency. However, with trade between North Korea and China expanding in 2022, there […]
Read more »Cuba’s Deepening Economic Crisis Is Putting Diaz-Canel in a Bind
January 27th, 2023
Via World Politics Review, a look at Cuba’s current economic crisis: Cuba is suffering. That was the inescapable conclusion from a recent trip to the island. The aged electrical grid is collapsing for lack of maintenance and spare parts, causing sporadic blackouts across the island. Factories bereft of raw materials and electricity are only operating […]
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.