A Lost Struggle To Mine Afghan Gold
May 24th, 2020
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a look at a failed Afghan gold mining venture: On Tuesday, shareholders in a private Guernsey-based company will meet electronically to discuss the likely end of a decade-long Sisyphean struggle to mine for gold and copper in the mountains of Afghanistan. Centar, set up in 2011 by investment banker Ian […]
Read more »The Trade and Transit Woes of Landlocked Afghanistan
May 8th, 2020
Via The Diplomat, an article on how Pakistan plays a big role in dictating the fortunes of the Afghan economy: Being landlocked remains one of the most disadvantageous positions for a state, especially in the modern global economy dominated by maritime trade. Prominent Oxford University economist Paul Collier listed being landlocked with bad neighbors as […]
Read more »In Shadow of BRI: The Great Railway Game
April 1st, 2020
Via Reconnecting Asia, a look at how the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is complemented by two other initiatives: the Chabahar International Transport and Transit Corridor; and the proposed Russia-Pakistan (Ru-Pak) Corridor The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), examined in the first part of this series, has developed slowly but steadily during its twenty years of existence. Although mired […]
Read more »In Shadow of BRI: Eurasian Corridors on the North—South Axis
April 1st, 2020
Via Reconnecting Asia, an article on the North-South routes which consist of a bundle of land and sea multimodal corridors and connect South Asia to Northern Europe via the Persian Gulf and the Caspian region: While most heads were turned to the East-West transport arteries spearheaded by China’s Belt and Road investments, activity along the lesser […]
Read more »How Natural Resources Could Help Build Peace in Afghanistan
March 24th, 2020
Via The Wilson Center’s New Security Beat, a report on Afghanistan’s natural resource potential: Potential water wars due to plans for multiple dams, violent opium cartels supporting world heroin markets, and many conflict-financing minerals including everyday talc used for baby powder. These are the types of natural resources stories that usually make front page news about Afghanistan. But natural resources […]
Read more »India-Chabahar-Afghanistan TIR Corridor Launched
March 15th, 2020
Via The Financial Tribune, a report on the launch of the Chabahar corridor: Two loaded containers were transported successfully from India’s Mumbai to Iran’s Chabahar, which exited through Dogharoun Border crossing to Afghanistan under cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) on Friday. According to Mostafa Ayati, an official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs […]
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.