Central Asia: The Once and Future Heart of Eurasia
July 4th, 2024
Via Geopolitical Monitor, a report on Central Asia: In recent decades, the portrayal of the five former Soviet Central Asian states—collectively known as the “stans”—in Western media and policy discourse has often been overly simplistic, neglecting their unique identities, historical legacies, and rich cultural diversity. These nations are frequently depicted as objects in a larger […]
Read more »The United States Tells China to Kick Rocks in Central Asia
July 3rd, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, commentary on U.S. efforts to diversify its supply chain for critical minerals and reduce its dependence on China by establishing partnerships with Central Asian republics, though it anticipates various challenges. In particular, China’s restrictions on gallium and germanium exports and significant economic influence in the region raise concerns. The United States, […]
Read more »The West Is Laser-Focused on Central Asia’s Middle Corridor. So Is China.
June 20th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a look at the Middle Corridor but – for more commodities to move west from Central Asia – better infrastructure, more inter-agency cooperation, and modern customs systems are necessary: The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Kathleen Tai visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in mid-June, the first time a USTR has ever visited the Central Asian region. […]
Read more »China Springs BRI Surprise On U.S.
June 10th, 2024
Via Indian Punchline, commentary on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project: The report of the death of China’s Belt and Road Initiative [BRI] was an exaggeration, after all. Within days of the US President Joe Biden’s acerbic remark during an interview last week with the Time magazine that the BRI has “become a nuisance graveyard initiative,” a trilateral […]
Read more »Could Iran be a Gateway for Central Asia?
June 7th, 2024
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a look at how connecting with Iran may be tempting for Central Asian countries like Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – but increased relations with Tehran may ultimately be counterproductive: The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project may finally get underway, according to Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov. At the 8th annual Trans-Caspian Forum, organized by the Caspian […]
Read more »The New Reality of Energy Geopolitics in Eurasia
May 31st, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a look at how – with the so-called gas union – Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are engaging in opportunistic cooperation and flirting with dangerous new dependencies. On November 28, 2022, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited Moscow, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials. During their meeting, Russian media […]
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.