Thailand’s Soft Power Splash
April 25th, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, a report on Thailand’s soft power splash: The Thai government under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made soft power — the ability to influence others through attraction rather than coercion — a cornerstone of its economic agenda. To help kickstart a stagnant Thai economy, the government is focusing on the economic […]
Read more »Juan Valdez: Colombia’s Global Success Story
April 25th, 2024
Via Latinometrics, a look at the striking global success of Colombian coffee: In 1927, the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (NFCGC) was established to promote the production and exportation of Colombian coffee. The timing was unfortunate, to say the least: two years later, the collapse of the New York Stock Exchange sent prices spiraling for worldwide […]
Read more »Niger, Benin: Oil Pipeline Begins Operations
April 25th, 2024
Via Stratfor’s Rane Worldview, a report on Niger, Benin’s operationalization of a new pipeline: What Happened: Nigerien oil arrived at the Beninese oil terminal of Seme using the Niger-Benin pipeline on April 21, Africanews reported on April 24. Why It Matters: The Niger-Benin pipeline’s entry into service will enable Niger to begin exporting up to 90,000 barrels […]
Read more »Saudi Arabia Spends Big to Become an A.I. Superpower
April 25th, 2024
Courtesy of the New York Times, an article on the oil-rich kingdom’s efforts to plow money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence: On a Monday morning last month, tech executives, engineers and sales representatives from Amazon, Google, TikTok and […]
Read more »US and Russia: Vying to Build Ghana’s Nuclear Energy Plant
April 25th, 2024
Courtesy of Semafor, a report on the race to build Ghana’s nuclear energy plant: The United States and Russia are locked in a race against China, France, and South Korea to build the first nuclear power plant in Ghana. The West African country is among several nations on the continent looking to nuclear power as […]
Read more »Russia Considering Creating Ports in Tanzania, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt
April 24th, 2024
Via Russia’s TASS News, a report that Russia is considering the possibility of creating ports in Tanzania, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt: Russia is considering the creation of ports to organize the flow of domestic goods with African countries, in particular in Tanzania, Senegal, Algeria and Egypt. Roman Chekushov, director of the department of international cooperation […]
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.