Syrian Billionaires Needed a Favor in Washington. They Invoked the Trump Name.
April 26th, 2026
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at the efforts of Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat, two of three Syrian-born brothers, to influence foreign policy while discussions are underway about potential Trump family deals in Syria: Last summer, Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, sat in his Capitol Hill office in rapt attention as Middle […]
Read more »The Billionaire Brothers Betting on Syria’s Reconstruction
February 20th, 2026
Via Bloomberg, a look at Qatar’s Al-Khayyat brothers who are are now poised to play a leading role in rebuilding their homeland: In 2017, during the Saudi-led embargo of Qatar, local dairy company Baladna famously airlifted in thousands of cows to help guarantee milk supplies and food security in Doha. Behind the unorthodox move was the Al-Khayyat family, naturalized […]
Read more »Saudis Announce New Investments in Syria, a Sign of Deepening Ties
February 9th, 2026
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on new Saudi and Syrian deals ranging from aviation to telecommunications, offering a much-needed boost to Syria’s battered economy: Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday sweeping investments in Syria’s telecommunications, energy, and aviation sectors, the latest sign of a deepening relationship between the two countries. The deals represent […]
Read more »Syria Signs Landmark Offshore Oil Field Deal with Chevron and a Qatari Investor
February 7th, 2026
Via AP News, a report on Syria’s state-owned petroleum company which recently signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. and Qatari companies on Wednesday for the development of the country’s first offshore oil and gas field: Syria’s state-owned petroleum company signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and Qatar on Wednesday for the development […]
Read more »After Fleeing Assad, He’s Now Leading Syria’s Tech Transformation
November 12th, 2025
Via Rest of World, an interview with Syria’s Abdulsalam Haykal explains how he plans to rebuild the country’s shattered digital infrastructure — and why he came back after years in exile: He fled Assad. Now he’s leading Syria’s tech transformation Abdulsalam Haykal faces a practically impossible task: to bring Syria back online after 14 years […]
Read more »Saudi’s AI Ambitions May Run Through Syria
November 5th, 2025
Via Semafor, a look at how Saudi’s AI ambitions may run through Syria: Courtesy of TeleGeography. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Saudi Arabia and Syria are in talks to build data cables connecting the kingdom to Europe, a move seen as a crucial part of Riyadh’s plan to become a global artificial intelligence hub. Syria […]
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.