An Oily Deal: Russia’s Dodgy Plan for a Pipeline in Congo
December 9th, 2025
Via The Economist, a look at a proposed pipeline in Congo that – if built – will probably benefit Russia rather than ordinary Congolese: FOR MORE than four decades the Republic of Congo, a central-African country of 6m people, has had only a single oil refinery, despite being a major producer of crude oil. That looks […]
Read more »After Gold and Diamonds, Russia Turns to Africa’s Trove of Fish
November 28th, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a report on how Russia is competing for influence – and money – in diverse, yet depleted waters: The Great African Expedition launched from the Baltic port of Kaliningrad in August 2024. An orchestra played “When the Saints Go Marching In” and a priest blessed the crews with holy water. Officials rang a […]
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 »Kremlin’s Grip on Russia’s Vast Expanse Complicates Vladivostok’s Ambitions To Become Trading Powerhouse
October 5th, 2025
Via the New York Times, a look at how – in a country where power is highly centralized – Moscow sets the tone for Vladivostok, 4,000 miles away, complicating longstanding ambitions to make it a trading powerhouse. At first glance, Vladivostok, Russia’s maritime stronghold and main trading hub on the Pacific, seems hardly Russian at […]
Read more »The China-Russia Axis Is Getting Firmer, and It’s Built on Gas
October 4th, 2025
Via Foreign Policy, a report on how Moscow pivoted to the east a decade ago, but it is now besmitten—or captive. An interesting thing happened late this summer: Russia and China dramatically deepened their energy relationship, less for economic reasons than for geopolitical ones. The ramifications, not so much for energy markets but for international […]
Read more »China’s Pipeline Diplomacy Is a Nightmare for U.S. Gas
September 9th, 2025
Via Bloomberg, a look at how the revival of a project that would transport Russian gas to China has the potential to upend Trump’s plans for energy dominance: It’s a potential prize fight for the ages: US “energy dominance” versus the Power of Siberia. A proposed pipeline to bring natural gas from Russia, across Mongolia and […]
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.