Afghanistan: Radical Economic Planning Needed
August 23rd, 2019
Via The Frontier Post, commentary on Afghanistan’s economic woes: In most of modern history Afghanistan has been a less developed economy, at some instances more underdeveloped than others, the problems with the Afghan economy, despite being home to rare mineral deposits that are worth trillions of dollars according to US surveys, is that it is […]
Read more »Uzbekistan Focused on Developing Trade with Afghanistan
July 29th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, a look at Tashkent’s efforts to increase trade cooperation with Afghanistan: Tashkent is set to become a dominant trade partner to Afghanistan as the two sides continue to negotiate on major projects. Uzbekistan has focused on fostering trade relations both globally and regionally. Tashkent has chased and negotiated various trade opportunities, and one […]
Read more »Afghan-Uzbek Trade
June 25th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, a report on how – with new initiatives and new infrastructure – trade can plays a dominant role in bilateral relations between Tashkent and Kabul: In May 2019, Tashkent launched an Afghanistan-Uzbekistan trade zone that will function within the Termez Cargo Center terminal at the Afghan-Uzbekistan border. The trade zone promises expedited handling of […]
Read more »Afghanistan: Prospects and Challenges to Regional Connectivity
April 19th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, a look at Afghanistan’s regional connectivity ambitions: Afghanistan’s strategic location has for a long time been touted as a competitive advantage for the country. The National Unity Government (NUG) has emphasized that Afghanistan’s economy will be transformed and economic growth achieved if the country can utilize this advantage and turn itself into […]
Read more »The Story Behind China’s Long-Stalled Mine in Afghanistan
January 11th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, the story behind China’s long-stalled mine in Afghanistan where – nine years after Chinese companies took control of Mes Aynak – copper extraction has yet to start: One-third of the Afghan population lives below the poverty line (earning less than $2 a day) and a further 50 percent are barely above this […]
Read more »Afghanistan’s “Sneakernet”
November 4th, 2018
Via New York Magazine, an interesting look at Afghanistan’s offline marketplace of digital content — the “Sneakernet”: At a dusty street market in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Aziz is shopping for digital files: games, music, videos, ghazals (recitations of love poetry), and naat (anthems praising the Prophet Muhammad), to add to his already extensive mobile entertainment collection. When he makes […]
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.