The Taliban Have Claimed Afghanistan’s Real Economic Prize
August 20th, 2021
Courtesy of The New York Times, commentary on the Taliban’s control of border crossings: After their stunning capture of Kabul, the Taliban have tried to convey a sense of calm. Only days after Afghanistan’s top officials scrambled onto military flights and desperate Afghans clung to the fuselage of departing planes, the Taliban coolly went on inspection tours of government […]
Read more »The Afghanistan-China Belt & Road Initiative
August 18th, 2021
Via Silk Road Briefing, a look at potential BRI routes exist along the Wakhan Corridor and via Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, but it is Pakistani access to Kabul that looks the better option – as long as the Taliban can provide stability, develop Afghan society, and refrain from regional aggression International media has focused on Afghanistan these past […]
Read more »Even Toyota Seemed To Know That The Taliban Would Take Kabul
August 17th, 2021
Via Quartz, an article on the Taliban’s preference for Toyota products: When the Taliban rode into Kabul and captured the presidential palace on Aug. 15, it marked the return to power of one of Toyota’s most loyal—and most regrettable—customers. For more than a quarter-century, Toyota’s sturdiest pickups and SUVs have been the Taliban’s vehicles of choice. They’re […]
Read more »Taliban Gains Give Investors Cause For Concern Beyond Afghanistan
August 15th, 2021
Via Reuters, an article on how Taliban gains give investors cause for concern beyond Afghanistan: The Taliban’s rapid advance towards Kabul is not only causing concern about Afghanistan’s future but also about the impact on other countries in the region and their economies. Iran and then Iraq lie to the west of Afghanistan. Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are […]
Read more »BRI vs New Quad for Afghanistan’s Coming Boom
July 26th, 2021
Via The Asia Times, an article on the race to build and extend Afghanistan’s shattered infrastructure: Over a week ago the excruciatingly slow Doha peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban resumed, and then they dragged on for two days observed by envoys from the EU, US and UN. Nothing happened. They could […]
Read more »China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Key Roles To Play In Afghanistan’s Future
July 16th, 2021
Via Silk Road Briefing, a look at how China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have a role to play in Afghanistan’s future: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has just held its Council of Foreign Ministers this week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. “A thorough exchange of views […]
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.