What Africa Can Learn From China’s Rise
June 13th, 2024
Via Foreign Policy, commentary on what Africa can learn from China and the importance of human capital: Since the big wave of independence from European rule swept Africa in 1960, no country on the continent has joined the exclusive club of the world’s richest nations. Africa is hardly alone in this regard. Since World War […]
Read more »The Challenge with Chinese Investment in Ethiopia’s Industrialization Push
June 13th, 2024
Via Semafor, a report on Chinese investment into Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s state-backed bid to drive industrialization and transform its economy over the last couple of decades has had plenty of support from Chinese investors and operators to create jobs and opportunities for a rapidly growing population. While that support has been welcomed, it’s been rare for […]
Read more »China and Russia Are Beating the US in Africa
June 13th, 2024
Via Bloomberg, commentary on a proposed new strategy for Washington to center on giving four “anchor” African countries preference in economic and military support: Africa, with 60% of the arable land on the planet, 30% of the mineral reserves and a population approaching 1.5 billion, is an increasingly vital region for global security. Unfortunately, the US has not been […]
Read more »Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Leaves Malaysia With a ‘Ghost’ Island
June 13th, 2024
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at China’s Forest City project in Johor which remains in limbo as Beijing prepares for key meeting: Tanjung Piai is a cape at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, the southernmost point of Eurasia and a destination for wealthy Chinese “shoppers.” At least it was until the affluent mainlanders all but stopped […]
Read more »How Myanmar’s Wood Funds Its Brutal Military
June 13th, 2024
Via Foreign Policy, a look at how conflict timber flows to India and China: Myanmar is the most violent place in the world, ranking just above Syria and Palestine, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Since the 2021 coup, the international community has imposed economic sanctions to restrict the […]
Read more »Litio 2040: Sustainably Developing Mexico’s Lithium from Ground to Grid
June 11th, 2024
Via the Council on Strategic Risks, a new report on Mexico’s lithium sector: Executive Summary In recent years, Mexico’s outgoing President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), has sought to develop lithium resources in the state of Sonora. AMLO and many Mexican policymakers hope to leverage lithium to profit from the rapidly growing value chain of […]
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.