Archive for 2023

Navigating China – U.S. Subsea Cable Competition

Via The Diplomat, an article on the continuing China-U.S. subsea cable competition: In July, there was a notable surge in attempts from both the United States and China to establish a more stable relationship. Following U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing in late June, there was a subsequent series of visits to China by […]

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Niger Tensions Threaten Chinese Pipeline and Dam Projects

Courtesy of Nikkei Asia, a report on how current turmoil in Niger has impacted Chinese investment projects: Rising tensions in Niger are casting a shadow over Chinese interests there, following reports that the construction of a dam has been suspended, adding to worries that a PetroChina-backed export pipeline set to be completed at the end […]

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Kyrgyzstan at the Crossroads: Climate and Economic Challenges in a Warming World

Via Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (CABAR), a look at the impact that climate change – both environmentally and economically – will have upon Kyrgyzstan: In the shadow of towering mountains, Kyrgyzstan faces a landscape as volatile as its climate. A nation grappling with escalating temperatures, dwindling water supplies, and the spectre of energy […]

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TikTok Takes on Shopee and Others in ASEAN e-Commerce Race

Courtesy of NikkeiAsia, a report on TikTok’s aggressive emergence into ASEAN’s e-commerce marketplace: TikTok is emerging as one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent e-commerce platforms, with sales growing sevenfold in one year as it attracts a wave of young, tech-savvy users with shopping and entertainment features. The rapid rise of the world’s most popular short […]

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IIT: The Exclusive Network Behind India’s Global Tech Success

What ‘s harder to get into than Harvard? Try IIT, the elite group of Indian engineering schools that accepts just 1.8% of applicants. (Harvard’s rate? 4%) Not only has IIT produced Silicon Valley leaders like Google’s Sundar Pichai and VC Vinod Khosla, more than *half* of India’s 100+ unicorns were founded by IIT alums. Courtesy […]

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China’s BeiDou: New GPS-Enabled Dimensions of Great Power Competition

Via GPSWorld, an article on the strategic and economic impact of China’s BeiDou GNSS service: China’s BeiDou GNSS is newer, has more features, is more accurate, and has more satellites in the skies of more nations than the venerable U.S. GPS, according to Sarah Sewall, Executive Vice President for Strategic Issues at IQT. More than […]

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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.