Lots of Oil, Little Production: What to Know About Venezuelan Energy
December 7th, 2025
Via the New York Times, a look at Venezuela: the South American country increasingly at odds with the Trump administration which has the world’s largest oil reserves: Venezuela sits on more oil than Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States and every other country. Yet, it produces and sells only about 1 percent of the crude […]
Read more »U.S. Waiver of Sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar Port is Good News for Central Asia
December 7th, 2025
Via the Times of Central Asia, a report on how a recent U.S. waiver of sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar Port is good news for Central Asia: U.S. sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman have been on again/off again since 2013, when the U.S. Congress passed the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act […]
Read more »How is the Economy of Ibrahim Traoré’s Burkina Faso (Really) Doing?
December 7th, 2025
Via The Africa Report, a look at how – despite a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation – the Burkinabè economy is holding firm thanks to record-high gold prices. Could Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s sovereignist strategy pay off? In late July 2025, dozens of jihadist fighters mounted on motorbikes descended on an army base in Dargo, central-eastern Burkina […]
Read more »Congo’s Upstream Expansion Signals New Era For Central Africa’s Energy Future
December 7th, 2025
Via Eurasia Review, a look at how Congo is expanding its upstream activities: The Republic of Congo is entering a period of rapid growth, with upstream expansion across both the oil and natural gas industries positioning the country as a strategic anchor for Central Africa’s energy development. With the start of operations at Congo LNG […]
Read more »Outdoor Concerts? Uncovered Hair? Shimmying in Public? Is This Iran?
December 1st, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on how young people across Iran have been leading a dramatic change in social mores in recent months: Thousands of young men and women, hair uncovered and dressed in jeans and short-sleeve tops, jumped up and down, dancing and singing at a packed outdoor pop concert. In another […]
Read more »How China Built a Network of Ports Encircling the Globe
December 1st, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a look at how – with shipping outposts on six continents – Beijing has cemented its trade dominance. That some could be used by its navy has other nations worried. Illustration: Christian Capestany China has invested tens of billions of dollars in building or investing in a global network of commercial ports on […]
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.