Reuniting Afghanistan with Central Asia
December 24th, 2017
Via the Times of Central Asia, a look at efforts to reunite Afghanistan with Central Asia: In the time of the Great Game, Afghanistan was in the center of the struggle between the Russian and British empires for their influence on Central Asia. Nowadays, post-Soviet republics of Central Asia seek to build stronger economic ties […]
Read more »Geopolitics of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor
December 24th, 2017
Via The Diplomat, a look at how the Lapis Lazuli project will advance the geopolitical aspirations of the member countries — and the US: The New Silk Road initiative of the United States came to life in June 2011, when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hinted at regional connectivity through rail lines, highways, and energy infrastructure […]
Read more »Kabul’s Plan to Realize Afghanistan’s Geographic Dividend
December 10th, 2017
Via The Diplomat, a look at the Afghan government’s efforts to turn the country’s landlocked location into an asset: Back in 1776, Adam Smith observed that “all the inland parts” of Africa and Asia were the world’s least developed areas. Even today, well over two centuries later, most of these landlocked countries are still trapped in poverty. Countries without […]
Read more »Chabahar Port: A Game Changer in India-Afghanistan-Central Asia Trade?
December 7th, 2017
Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a look at the recently inaugurated Chabahar port project: On December 3, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the first phase of the Chabahar port development project on the Gulf of Oman, with the participation of senior Afghan and Indian ministers, including the Indian Minister for External Affairs Mrs. Sushma Swaraj. […]
Read more »China Funded Lapis-Lazuli Transport Corridor Unites Caucasus & Central Asia
December 6th, 2017
Via Silk Road Briefing, an article on the Lapis-Lazuli Transport Corridor: China’s reach into Central Asia and the Caucasus has taken a major step forward with a new initiative poetically known as “The Lapis-Lazuli Transit, Trade & Transport Route” (or the “Lapis Lazuli Corridor”). This aims to enhance regional economic cooperation and connectivity between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, […]
Read more »Uzbekistan And Afghanistan Sign Railway Deal
December 6th, 2017
Via Times of Central Asia, a report on a new agreement between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan: During Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s official visit to Tashkent on December 5, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed an agreement to extend a railroad connecting the two countries in a move which may eventually give landlocked Uzbekistan a direct link to sea […]
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.