Morocco’s Atlantic Gambit: Linking Restive Sahel to Atlantic Ocean
June 29th, 2025
Via Al Monitor, a look at Morocco’s efforts to link the restive Sahel to the Atlantic Ocean: A planned trade corridor linking the landlocked Sahel to the Atlantic is at the heart of an ambitious Moroccan project to tackle regional instability and consolidate its grip on disputed Western Sahara. The “Atlantic Initiative” promises ocean access […]
Read more »Golden Arches in a War Zone: McDonald’s Thrives in Ukraine
June 28th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how the American fast-food giant plans to open about 10 new restaurants in Ukraine this year, a testament to the country’s rebounding economy and its enduring love of Big Macs: For decades, the onion-shaped golden domes of an Orthodox Christian monastery kept watch over this lush […]
Read more »Russia Seizes Key Lithium Field in Challenge for U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
June 27th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on Russia’s seizure of a key lithium field, the capture of which highlights a core problem in the agreement. The more territory Moscow grabs, the fewer resources Kyiv can offer to Washington. Russian forces have seized control of a valuable lithium deposit in the Donetsk region of […]
Read more »Trump Has Once-in-a-Century Opportunity in Africa: Grand Inga Hydroelectric Complex
June 27th, 2025
Via Newsmax, commentary on a potential transformational infrastructure opportunity in Africa: At Congo’s Inga Falls, the world’s deepest river plunges down a 315-foot drop, releasing more raw hydraulic energy than any site on Earth. Engineers have long envisioned harnessing that surge through the Grand Inga hydroelectric complex — a seven-station project that, if fully built, […]
Read more »Kim Jong-un Hails New North Korean Beach Resort as One of Country’s ‘Greatest Feats’ This Year
June 25th, 2025
Courtesy of The Guardian, a report on a new North Korean beach resort, hailed as one of country’s ‘greatest feats’ this year: Kim Jong-un is more accustomed to overseeing ballistic missile launches and political purges, but this week the North Korean leader opted for a change of pace with a family visit to a new beach resort – […]
Read more »A Business Hub for Central Asia’s Elite? What to Expect From Alatau
June 25th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a look at Alatau where Tokayev’s vision of a futuristic Singapore-style city is slowly getting started, but takes a different development approach than Astana did: In a late afternoon session at the Astana International Forum, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of National Economy Zhandos Shaimardanov stepped onto the stage for a long-awaited talk on […]
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.