Syria Will Be ‘Gone” If Economy Rebuilding Falters
October 17th, 2025
Via Semafor, a report on Syria’s economic future: After 13 years of civil war and six decades of dictatorship, Syrian officials tasked with restarting an economy that has resembled Cuba’s or North Korea’s insist that they need to build new institutions, and not rebuild those that led to the country’s collapse. Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy […]
Read more »Russia in Africa: An Economic Power In Appearance Only
October 17th, 2025
Via The Africa Report, commentary on Russia engagement in Africa: While pushing hard on diplomacy and security in Africa, Russia is also using economics to entrench its influence. The results are mixed. “We intend to expand our engagement with African countries across the board, focusing above all on the economy and investment,” Dmitry Peskov, the […]
Read more »The Taliban Emirate, China, India and Pakistan
October 17th, 2025
Via Geopolitical Futures, commentary on what attacking Pakistan means for the Taliban to try to break out of international isolation: After the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, it was only a matter of time before conflict erupted between the Afghan Taliban and their former patron, Pakistan. One of the ways this manifested was […]
Read more »Timor-Leste Joins ASEAN
October 17th, 2025
Via Foreign Policy, a report on Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia’s freest democracy which is joining ASEAN and could shift the balance of power between the U.S. and China: Barring a major surprise, Timor-Leste will join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as its 11th member state at the bloc’s summit in Malaysia this month. Acceding […]
Read more »The Gulf Turns East: How Central Asia Became a New Financial Frontier
October 17th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a look at how the financial map of Central Asia is changing: Central Asia is emerging as one of the most attractive destinations for financial flows from the Middle East. According to Arab News, investments from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in Central Asia have nearly tripled since 2022. Financial cooperation is also […]
Read more »Are Emirati Petrodollars Really a Good Deal for Africa?
October 13th, 2025
Via The Africa Report, commentary on whether Emirati petrodollars really are a good deal for Africa? Logistics, energy, minerals – the United Arab Emirates has become one of Africa’s leading foreign investors, behind the European Union and China. The charge has drawn the occasional accusation of neo-colonial practice. Senegal’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, hopes that a […]
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.