From Backwater to Beacon: Kazakhstan’s Identity as a Middle Power
July 15th, 2024
Via Modern Diplomacy, a look at the shift in Kazakhstan’s identity on the global arena: On March 23, 2024, Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Singapore, marking the first official state visit in over 20 years. Tokayev, who previously served as a diplomat in Singapore during the 1970s, also delivered the 46th Singapore Lecture on May 24th at the […]
Read more »From Russian Ladas to Chinese BYDs: Central Asia’s Changing Priorities
July 13th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, an article on Beijing’s efforts to steadily draw Central Asia into its orbit and away from Russia’s traditional sphere of influence: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Kazakhstan and participation in the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on July 2-4, 2024, marked a […]
Read more »Central Asia: The Once and Future Heart of Eurasia
July 4th, 2024
Via Geopolitical Monitor, a report on Central Asia: In recent decades, the portrayal of the five former Soviet Central Asian states—collectively known as the “stans”—in Western media and policy discourse has often been overly simplistic, neglecting their unique identities, historical legacies, and rich cultural diversity. These nations are frequently depicted as objects in a larger […]
Read more »The United States Tells China to Kick Rocks in Central Asia
July 3rd, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, commentary on U.S. efforts to diversify its supply chain for critical minerals and reduce its dependence on China by establishing partnerships with Central Asian republics, though it anticipates various challenges. In particular, China’s restrictions on gallium and germanium exports and significant economic influence in the region raise concerns. The United States, […]
Read more »Komatsu Opens Central Asia Hub to Tap Mining Rush for EV Metals
June 23rd, 2024
Via Nikkei Asia, a report on growing industry interest in Central Asia’s energy transition metal potential: Komatsu will facilitate deliveries of mining equipment across Central Asia through a new logistics hub in Kazakhstan, with an eye on the region’s reserves of key electric vehicle materials like nickel and lithium. The Japanese heavy machinery maker recently […]
Read more »The West Is Laser-Focused on Central Asia’s Middle Corridor. So Is China.
June 20th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a look at the Middle Corridor but – for more commodities to move west from Central Asia – better infrastructure, more inter-agency cooperation, and modern customs systems are necessary: The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Kathleen Tai visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in mid-June, the first time a USTR has ever visited the Central Asian region. […]
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.