Cuba Scrambles To Build Asian Ties Beyond China Under U.S. Pressure
February 7th, 2026
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at Cuba’s desperate efforts to build Asian ties beyond China: The Cuban government is rushing to diversify and enhance ties in Asia, as U.S. President Donald Trump cranks up pressure on the Caribbean island nation following his raid on Venezuela. While China is a traditional ally and leading source of […]
Read more »Cuba: Heading For Disaster?
November 24th, 2025
Via The Economist, a report on Cuba’s growing economic challenges: It is hard to fathom how ordinary Cubans nowadays manage to survive. The barest necessities of life cost far more than the official average monthly wage of 6,506 pesos (equivalent to $14.46 at the informal rate, which everyone goes by). Most professionals, such as doctors and […]
Read more »Global Cobalt Reserves 2023
November 7th, 2024
Via Mining Visuals, a look at at where the world’s cobalt reserves are located: Cobalt is a critical mineral, essential for the production of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), smartphones, and other renewable energy applications. As the world transitions to greener technologies, the demand for cobalt is projected to rise sharply. At the […]
Read more »Cuba’s Long-Standing Power Problems
October 23rd, 2024
Courtesy of Geopolitical Futures, analysis of Cuba’s recent power blackout crises: Cuba has had a bad week, even by Cuba’s standards. It suffered four nationwide power outages in a 48-hour period, only to be struck full force by Hurricane Oscar. The two events brought the precarity of Cuban infrastructure – particularly its power grid – […]
Read more »Power Outage Plunges All of Cuba Into Darkness
October 20th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on Cuba’s power shortage: Cuba’s power grid failed and the entire nation plunged into darkness Friday, less than a day after the government stressed the need to paralyze the economy to save electricity in the face of major gasoline shortages and large-scale, regular outages. The electricity went […]
Read more »‘China Is Not Cuba’s Sugar Daddy’
October 15th, 2024
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on Havana’s economic collapse is hampering relations with Beijing: It is the only communist nation in the Americas, was the first in the western hemisphere to recognise the People’s Republic of China and is described by Beijing as “good brother, good comrade, good friend”. But despite their shared […]
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.