Central Asia Accessing Pakistani Sea Ports that Bypass Afghanistan
May 29th, 2026
Via Jamestown, a report on how Central Asia is bypassing Afghanistan as a primary transit gateway to the sea: Executive Summary: Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Transport and Communications announced the successful implementation of a pilot transport project on the Kyrgyzstan–China–Pakistan route on April 24. The new 2,000-mile route through the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is […]
Read more »An Insurgency Threatens U.S. Mining Ambitions in Pakistan
May 3rd, 2026
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army which could derail Pakistan’s plans for a billion-dollar mining deal with the Trump administration: Standing in the Oval Office in September, Pakistan’s Army chief gave President Trump a wooden box filled with minerals and gems — a nod to the […]
Read more »Pakistan’s Mineral Frontier and the Geopolitics of US Supply Chain Diversification
April 19th, 2026
Via the Fair Observer, commentary on the global race for critical minerals is accelerating as the US seeks to reduce reliance on China, positioning Pakistan as a potential diversification partner despite security risks. Rich deposits like Reko Diq offer opportunity, but instability constrains investment, leaving Washington to balance engagement with risk against continued dependence on […]
Read more »Shooting for the Stars with a Paper Airplane: The US-Pakistan Rare Earths Deal
January 20th, 2026
Via Geopolitical Monitor, commentary on the US-Pakistan rare earths deal: In October 2025, Pakistan shipped its first load of rare earth minerals to the United States as part of a new $500 million agreement between the two nations. After months of trade negotiations, this shipment was of great symbolic significance, intended to show that Pakistan can deliver […]
Read more »The Wildcat Traders and US Contractors Piling into Pakistan’s Antimony
December 29th, 2025
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a look at the wildcat traders and US contractors piling into Pakistan’s antimony, a rare earth crucial for missiles, batteries and flame retardants: For years, the only buyers for the antimony Jabbar Khan sourced from wildcat traders in Afghanistan were secretive Chinese intermediaries, who bargained hard over the price. Now, […]
Read more »Between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a Trade War With No End in Sight
December 8th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how – after deadly cross-border military clashes – the Pakistani and Afghan governments have locked their populations in a trade war threatening the livelihoods of millions: One of Peshawar’s largest markets in western Pakistan once bustled with thousands of Afghan-owned shops and carts, selling everything from […]
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.