Sudan’s World War
May 16th, 2025
Via Sidecar, commentary on the ongoing war in Sudan: The 15 April marked the two-year anniversary of a civil war in Sudan that has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. I published an essay in Sidecar, ‘Gunshots in Khartoum’, two days after the war began, which tried to trace its emergent lineaments. The conflict […]
Read more »Pesky Ports: A Look At Outside Powers Lining Up For Red Sea Ports
April 24th, 2025
Via The Economist, a look at how a new smash and grab for Red Sea ports is resulting in outside powers are lining up for a piece of the action: To grasp the importance of the Red Sea, visit Djibouti. Before missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels reduced cargo shipments by more than two-thirds in 2024, […]
Read more »In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
March 28th, 2025
Via Yale e360, a look at how – as civil war rages in Sudan – a surge in gold production is helping finance and arm the warring factions: Amid Sudan’s brutal civil war, where famine threatens millions of displaced people, many have turned to small-scale gold mining, risking their lives by using toxic chemicals to […]
Read more »There’s A New Power Scramble Underway in the Red Sea
March 12th, 2025
Via Ethan Chorin’s blog, commentary on the new power scramble underway in the Red Sea: As the Trump Administration attempts to broker deals to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and as Russia has lost its Syria client (and its only warm water port outside the Black Sea), The Kremlin is quietly shifting military weight to the […]
Read more »Sudan Agrees To Deal For Russian Naval Base
February 15th, 2025
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on an agreement for a Russian naval base in Sudan: Sudan on Wednesday said it had agreed a deal for Russia to establish a naval base on the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast, marking a rare success for Moscow’s drive to expand its network of military bases in […]
Read more »Energy, Mining, Telecoms: Gulf Nations Pour Billions Into Africa
January 24th, 2025
Via The Africa Report, a look at the Gulf’s continued strong investment interest in Africa: Gulf countries invested over $100bn in Africa between 2012 and 2022, leveraging the continent’s opportunities to diversify their oil-dependent economies. Nearly half of those investments came from the UAE. Here is a breakdown in infographics. Agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare 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.