China Looks To Central Asia As An Economic Alternative
December 25th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, commentary on China’s active efforts to look for partners to show that the BRI is a truly international project, rather than simply a geopolitical expansion plan: The United States and China reached a limited trade agreement on Friday, narrowly avoiding the White House-imposed December 15 deadline, which would have seen tariff increases on $156 billion of […]
Read more »Could A Peaceful Afghanistan Be An Economic Powerhouse?
December 16th, 2019
Via The Conversation, an article on Afghanistan’s economic potential Peace talks have resumed between the United States and the Taliban of Afghanistan, three months after negotiations ended abruptly following a deadly Taliban attack in Kabul. The Taliban – an armed insurgency promoting an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam – has battled the Afghan government for power for three decades. Since the U.S. invasion of […]
Read more »Afghanistan Prepares for a Financial Future Without the U.S.
December 13th, 2019
Via STRATFOR (subscription required), a look at Afghanistan’s current and future economic condition: A year ahead of the U.S. 2020 presidential election, Washington appears to have revived its latest attempt at a peace deal with the Taliban. On Nov. 28, U.S. President Donald Trump visited Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where he met his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, […]
Read more »The Geopolitics of the Wakhan Corridor
December 13th, 2019
Via Harvard International Review, an article on the Wakhan Corridor: Afghanistan is the very definition of a geopolitical pivot. Long called the “Graveyard of Empires,” the country still lures larger powers keen on exerting influence in Central Asia, and the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow strip of land protruding out of Afghanistan like the handle of […]
Read more »Is New Russia-China Gas Pipeline A Threat To Turkmenistan?
December 9th, 2019
Via Eurasia.net, a look at how Russia – with the new Power of Siberia pipeline – is threatening Turkmenistan’s position as China’s largest source of gas: Russia’s mega-project to export its gas to China, the Power of Siberia pipeline, came online December 2. By 2024, the pipeline is expected to deliver 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually. […]
Read more »Who Will Win Ethiopia’s Telecoms Race?
December 7th, 2019
Via Mobile World Live, commentary on the likely contenders if/when Ethiopia’s telecom market is opened up: In 2020, Ethiopia is set to split its telecoms monopoly and open the market to competition. The move will represent a rare opportunity for operators to enter a huge country with a large proportion of unconnected citizens and low data penetration […]
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.