Via Eurasia Review, a report on how China’s BRI is now focused on new Eurasian trade routes due to the Ukraine war: Moving shipping containers from China through Russia to the European Union became a vital part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the Western sanctions that followed have […]
Read more »Via Mark Mobius, a reminder that crises can prove to be profitable times for investing: When Sri Lanka’s financial crisis started to deepen a few months ago, I decided to visit the country to observe first-hand the political and social developments. At the time, street demonstrations were still peaceful and power outages were few and […]
Read more »Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a look at how Turkey’s TV drama “Ertugrul” reveals how neo-Ottoman fantasies are finding an enthusiastic audience in a country that struggles with Saudi and Western influence: When Esra Bilgic, the 27-year-old star of the popular Turkish television drama Dirilis: Ertugrul (“Resurrection: Ertugrul”), posted a picture of herself in a bralette and blazer on […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, an article on how – while the hope is for the CKU route to begin construction in 2023 – there remain significant challenges to realizing the railway: After 20 years of negotiations, the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is hoped to finally begin next year. An online meeting took place between China, […]
Read more »Courtesy of STRATFOR (subscription required), a report on how the recent firing of the NOC Chairman risks politicizing Libya’s oil company: In firing Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) board of directors, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is trying to end oil blockades and encourage his eastern-based rival Khalifa Hifter to enter negotiations on a possible political settlement. But […]
Read more »Via Foreign Policy, an article on Russia’s scuttled plans for a Red Sea Naval Base in Sudan: Russia’s hopes of establishing a naval base at Port Sudan on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, have run aground, according to two U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to Foreign Policy on condition of anonymity. U.S. officials have […]
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