Tehran and Kabul Reach Major Trade Agreements
June 24th, 2023
Via Geopolitics in South Asia and MENA, a report on new trade agreements between Iran and Afghanistan: During the visit of the head of the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization (TPO)’s Afghan desk to Afghanistan, important agreements were made for the development of trade relations between the two countries, the TPO portal reported. Hamidreza Karbalaie Esmaili’s […]
Read more »Cash-Strapped Taliban Selling Tickets To Ruins of Buddhas It Blew Up
June 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, an interesting look at how the Taliban are now selling tickets to ruins of Buddhas it blew up to generate income: The three Taliban soldiers gazed down at the gaping hole in the 125-foot cliff where one of Afghanistan’s two great Buddha figures once stood and wondered aloud who was […]
Read more »China, Pakistan, and the Taliban: CPEC in Afghanistan
June 12th, 2023
Via The Diplomat, commentary on China, Pakistan, and the Taliban from the lens of CPEC in Afghanistan: The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Claudia Chia – an independent researcher and former research analyst […]
Read more »Revival of TAPI Pipeline Project Brings Serious Geopolitical Implications for Russia
June 9th, 2023
Courtesy of The Jamestown Foundation, an article on how the revival of the TAPI project has serious geopolitical implications for Russia: Turkmenistan and Pakistan continue their talks on the revival of the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India (TAPI) pipeline, and a bilateral meeting on the issue in Islamabad will be announced soon—possibly in late June 2023. For its part, […]
Read more »Afghanistan Accepted Into China’s Belt & Road Initiative
June 2nd, 2023
Courtesy of Silk Road Briefing, an article on Afghanistan’s acceptance into China’s BRI: China and Pakistan have agreed to extend the Belt and Road Initiative into Afghanistan, potentially drawing in billions of dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the sanctions-hit country, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry. The agreement was reached in Islamabad on Sunday (May […]
Read more »Afghanistan-Iran Complete First Trial Run of Khaf-Herat Railway
June 2nd, 2023
Via The Diplomat, a report on how Afghanistan and Iran – two countries faced with sanctions and political isolation – are working together to avoid becoming completely isolated from global networks: Despite their current estrangement from the West, Iran and Afghanistan have test run a roundabout rail link that aims to connect with the rail […]
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.