Central Asia Accessing Pakistani Sea Ports that Bypass Afghanistan
May 29th, 2026
Via Jamestown, a report on how Central Asia is bypassing Afghanistan as a primary transit gateway to the sea: Executive Summary: Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Transport and Communications announced the successful implementation of a pilot transport project on the Kyrgyzstan–China–Pakistan route on April 24. The new 2,000-mile route through the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is […]
Read more »The $50B Thirst: Africa’s Beverage Market Enters A New Corporate Era
May 28th, 2026
Via The Africa Report, a look at how – with brewing remaining the undisputed engine of profitability – strategic retreats by select global players signal a structural shift towards hyper-local competition and sophisticated distribution networks: From beer to soft drinks, corporate manoeuvres and major announcements are multiplying across Africa. Driven by the retreat of certain international […]
Read more »China’s Quiet Pivot to Central Asian Gas
May 27th, 2026
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on China’s pivot to Central Asian gas: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing on May 20 with a delegation built for a deal: five deputy prime ministers, eight Cabinet ministers, and the chiefs of Gazprom and Rosneft. He left two days later with declarations of friendship, a visa-free […]
Read more »PRC–Turkmenistan Gas Ties Hedge Hormuz Risk
May 11th, 2026
Via Jamestown, a look at China’s efforts to develop overland energy security through Central Asia, especially Turkmenistan: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is intensifying its pursuit of overland energy security through Central Asia as the Middle East conflict raises the strategic cost of maritime exposure. Turkmenistan is the primary anchor of this effort. Politburo […]
Read more »An Insurgency Threatens U.S. Mining Ambitions in Pakistan
May 3rd, 2026
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army which could derail Pakistan’s plans for a billion-dollar mining deal with the Trump administration: Standing in the Oval Office in September, Pakistan’s Army chief gave President Trump a wooden box filled with minerals and gems — a nod to the […]
Read more »An Old Railroad Is Key to U.S.-China Race for Critical Metals In Africa
May 1st, 2026
Via Rest of World, an article on howWashington is trying to use the Lobito Railway in Congo to break China’s hold on critical metals in Africa: The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of Africa’s wealthiest countries even as its people are some of the world’s poorest. It is rich in cobalt, lithium and […]
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.