Iran, Dubai, and Economic Sanctions
November 2nd, 2008
An interesting article in The New York Times Magazine on the strategy and impact of economic sanctions against Iran. As the article notes, the idea is to prevent a country reliant on global trade — as an ancient empire, a station on the Silk Road across Asia and a modern petroleum powerhouse — from being […]
Read more »GOPEC, Go Figure…
October 27th, 2008
Via The Financial Times, another look at the possibility of a Gas OPEC (GOPEC) and, more specifically, the unlikelihood of its success until LNG infrastructure becomes more pervasive around the world. As the article notes “…Exactly 35 years ago, the Arab oil embargo sent western economies into their worst downturn of the postwar period. So […]
Read more »Azerbaijan: Dancing Between the West and Russia
October 23rd, 2008
Via The New York Times, an interesting look at Azerbaijan, the small, oil-rich country on the Caspian Sea, which has balanced the interests of Russia (to its north) and the United States since it won its independence from the Soviet Union. But since Russia and Georgia fought a short war this summer, its path has […]
Read more »Gas ‘Troika’ Discuss Gas OPEC
October 22nd, 2008
As reported by The Huffington Post, Russia, Iran and Qatar – which together account for nearly a third of world natural gas exports and hold some 60 percent of world gas reserves – made the first serious moves recently toward forming an OPEC-style cartel on natural gas, raising concerns that Moscow could boost its influence […]
Read more »Part of the Axis of Oil Springs A Leak
October 21st, 2008
Via The International Herald Tribune, an interesting look at the recent (mis)fortunes of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela in their bids to challenge United States hegemony in the aftermath of falling oil prices. As the article notes: “…For all three nations, oil money was a means to an ideological end. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela used […]
Read more »Iran: Energy Transport Route
October 17th, 2008
Courtesy of Energy Daily, an interesting look at how – in the aftermath of the August military confrontation between Georgia and Russia –former Soviet republics and rising petro-states Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been reassessing their export options, with Iran receiving increased attention in both Baku and Astana. As the article notes, Iran has been moving […]
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.