Does an Expanded BRICS Mean Anything?
August 27th, 2023
Via Project Syndicate, analysis of by Jim O’Neill – former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and a former UK treasury minister – on the news that the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) will accept new members, one wonders if the grouping can pose a genuine challenge to the prevailing global-governance institutions: […]
Read more »How A YouTube Channel Is Transforming A Remote Village In Bangladesh
August 27th, 2023
Courtesy of Rest of World, an interesting and inspiring look at how a YouTube channel has created a lucrative cooking empire, transforming a remote village in Bangladesh: Almost every week, Delwar Hussain, a stocky 40-year-old schoolteacher with betel-stained teeth, travels more than 100 miles on a public bus from his village of Shimulia in western […]
Read more »Somalia’s Potential Accession To The East African Community
August 27th, 2023
Via Eurasia Review, commentary on Somalia’s potential membership in the East African Community: In a significant move signaling Somalia’s keen interest in integrating further with its East African neighbors, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has dispatched his foremost diplomats to Nairobi. These delegates aren’t just representatives; they are specialists, divided into three teams to comprehensively address […]
Read more »China’s Rapidly Growing Presence in Central America
August 26th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a look at how – in the past six years – China’s presence in the region has exploded, with worrying consequences for Central America’s governance norms: Credit: Depositphotos On August 21, Parlacen, the parliament of the six-nation Central American Integration System, voted to revoke Taiwan’s permanent observer status and admit China as an […]
Read more »Tunisia’s Response to Bread Shortages Bode Ill for Its Economic Stability
August 25th, 2023
Courtesy of Stratfor’s Rane Worldview, analysis of Tunisia’s ill thought out response to bread shortages: Tunisia’s struggle to mitigate widespread bread shortages risks eroding its authoritarian president’s popularity, triggering social unrest, and delaying the disbursement of needed funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On Aug. 19, the Tunisian government announced that it would resupply flour […]
Read more »Indonesia Signs Deals With Several African Countries
August 25th, 2023
Via Stratfor’s Rane Worldview, a report on recent deals between Indonesia and several African nations: What Happened: Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo wrapped a weeklong Africa tour during which he signed vaccine export and energy deals with Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 24. Indonesia will also develop palm oil plantations in Kenya. […]
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.