Russia Looks To Cash In On Afghanistan Opportunities
May 6th, 2022
Via Russia Briefing, commentary on Russia’s interest in Afghanistan: Afghanistan is a US$1 trillion commodities and transit bank for Russian and Chinese supply chain needs Eight months after US troops finally exited Afghanistan, and 20 years after a US invasion in which Washington spent US$2.3 trillion on being there, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has […]
Read more »Russia’s Resource Grab in Ukraine
April 29th, 2022
Via Foreign Policy, a report on how Ukraine’s extraordinary riches in energy, minerals, and agriculture are a prize for the Kremlin: Russia’s motives for invading Ukraine vary from security fears to revisionist historical claims that a Ukrainian national identity does not exist. Energy security also looms large—in particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s determination to ensure the […]
Read more »Bad Business Climate in Russia a Boon for Kazakhstan
April 27th, 2022
Via The Diplomat, a report on how Kazakhstan stands to benefit as Russian companies look to move out of Russia in order to trade globally again: The COVID-19 pandemic broke supply chains and mangled logistics the world over. The war in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and rising anti-Russian sentiments have added a new layer of […]
Read more »Middle Corridor: Potential Alternative to Russian Railways?
April 25th, 2022
Via Jamestown Foundation, an article on the Middle Corridor as a potential alternative to Russian transit: The Russo-Ukrainian war has cast doubt on the sustainability of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) “Northern Corridor” because of mounting Western sanctions on this overland route’s key links—Russia and Belarus (see EDM, April 8, 18). The growing vulnerability of […]
Read more »Moscow’s Race Against Time To Divert Energy Exports From Europe To Asia
April 21st, 2022
Via BNE Intellinews, a report on Moscow’s efforts to diver energy exports from Europe to Asia: Europe’s unprecedented push to sever all energy ties with Russia has left Moscow scrambling to re-orientate its vast oil, gas and coal exports to Asian markets. But achieving such a monumental feat would likely take years, not to […]
Read more »Kazakhstan Oil Meets a Caspian Chokepoint
March 28th, 2022
Via The Diplomat, a report on how much of the oil produced in Kazakhstan transits through a pipeline across Russia, which now has shrunk output for a variety of reasons: After the Russian government started a war in Ukraine in late February, an oil pipeline came into the spotlight. With sanctions looming, producers, shareholders, 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.