May 14th, 2021
Courtesy of Emerging World, an interesting look at how motorbike riders serve as vital arteries of the global food delivery industry, especially in the emerging world: Jet-lagged from a long flight that landed in the middle of the night, I woke up the next morning to the familiar sound of motorbikes. I was in Tehran, […]
Read more »Thriving Djibouti Benefits From Its Strategic Location
May 14th, 2021
Courtesy of The Financial Times, a report on Djibouti: At the top of a lighthouse in a deserted headland, Ali Hassan Ali points across the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, to war-ravaged Yemen. Then, behind him, to war-torn Ethiopia. Then, to his right, at troubled Somalia. Finally, to his left at Eritrea, a dictatorship engaged in the […]
Read more »May 8th, 2021
Courtesy of Project Syndicate, a look at how – after decades of strife and bloodshed – Sudan has made significant gains in the two years since its revolution, adopting important economic reforms and gradually rejoining the international community. Now, the country needs investment, and it has no shortage of profitable opportunities to offer: Investing in […]
Read more »Vietnam’s Big Infrastructure Plans
May 8th, 2021
Via Barron’s, a report on Vietnam’s infrastructure plans: Communist Party congresses don’t usually excite financial markets. Vietnam’s confab three months ago looks like an exception. Party leaders committed to an anti-Communist boost for the country’s private sector, to 55% from 42% of gross domestic product by 2025. They earmarked $119 billion for infrastructure over the […]
Read more »May 8th, 2021
Via East Asia Forum, commentary on growing unlikelihood that China will rebuild Syria: A decade since the start of the Syrian civil war, debate on the conflict is shifting toward the rebuilding of the country. China is increasingly being touted as a leading candidate to address Syria’s post-conflict reconstruction at a time when Western powers and Syrian […]
Read more »Central Asia Confronts Obstacles On Path To Warm-Water Port
May 6th, 2021
Via Eurasianet, a report on Central Asia’s efforts to find access to a warm-water port: A top trade priority for Central Asian leaders is access to a warm-water port. Whether they succeed any time soon appears to depend heavily on China. Policy changes and new infrastructure are already easing Central Asia’s comparative isolation from world markets. […]
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