A Tale of Two Megalopolises
April 20th, 2024
Courtesy of Foreign Policy, a look at what new cities in Saudi Arabia and Egypt tell us about their autocrats: Two extraordinary cities are being built in the Middle East. In Egypt, the first residents have started moving into a new administrative capital that has been underway for nearly a decade. The as-yet-unnamed city boasts […]
Read more »Race for AI Supremacy in Middle East Is Measured in Data Centers
April 11th, 2024
Courtesy of Bloomberg, a look at how Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rushing to build infrastructure as they vie to become the regional tech superpower: One of the best places to view the Gulf states’ unfolding rivalry over artificial intelligence is inside an unmarked building in an industrial park near a golf course on […]
Read more »Emerging Powers and the Future of American Statecraft
April 10th, 2024
Via the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a new report on how, collectively, emerging powers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are growing in their geopolitical weight and diplomatic ambition. How closely do they align with the United States when it comes to Russia and China? What drives their decisions on the […]
Read more »Gulf Arab States Test Waters With Iraq Investment
April 8th, 2024
Courtesy of Reuters, a report on growing Gulf investment interest in Iraq: Gulf Arab states pledge more investment in Iraq Ties growing after decades of strained relations Iraqi economy improving, helped by relative stability Questions remain over Iran’s influence In Baghdad’s Green Zone, a heavily fortified legacy from Iraq’s war-torn years, the glitzy Qatar-financed Rixos […]
Read more »Turning Camels into Cows: Middle East Megafarms Set Up To Produce Camel Milk on Industrial Scale
April 7th, 2024
Via The Conversation, a report on efforts to set up megafarms in the Middle East to produce camel milk: The camel may be the next cow. An animal that once grazed and browsed over huge distances is increasingly being enclosed in vast Middle Eastern dairy farms, where thousands of camels are milked by machine. This […]
Read more »Saudis Scale Back Ambition for $1.5 Trillion Desert Project Neom
April 7th, 2024
Courtesy of Bloomberg, a report on Saudi Arabia’s diminished Neom dreams: In Neom, The Line was expected to house 1.5 million by 2030 Now, fewer than 300,000 are expected to live there by then Saudi Arabia has scaled back its medium-term ambitions for the desert development of Neom, the biggest project within Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans […]
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.