There is very little coverage beyond those who bemoan Chinese activity concerning the intensive rivalries shaping up on both continents with respect to resource extraction. This blog will focus on the Turkish, Iranian, Brazilian, Russian, and Israeli moves in these regions to present a broader picture of a wild and exciting competition for influence and [...]

Gideon Rachman at the FT writes about the political dimensions of globalization today, taking note that so long as the very poorest in the world do not feel the benefits of these processes, political support will continue to hamper the free flow of capital, goods, and ideas, feeding into the next wave of protectionism. The [...]

Analysts praising Russia’s strong performance “ignore the fact that Russia’s inflation demons are rearing their ugly heads and showing every sign of getting worse.” Oligarchs Vladimir Potanin and Mikhail Prokhorov, previously joint owners of Norilsk Nickel, are parting ways in a saga being dubbed as “the divorce of the century”. The Russian entrepreneur Alexander Mamut [...]

Gwyn Morgan, the retired founding CEO of EnCana, has a great article in the Globe and Mail today about the shifting balance of power in the global economy posed by both petro dollars and trade flows.  The rise of sovereign wealth funds is provoking calls for greater transparency.

Today from MarketWatch: Sovereign-wealth funds too big to ignore Government-run funds causing heartburn in financial establishment By William L. Watts, MarketWatch Last Update: 1:52 PM ET Oct 20, 2007 WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The government-run investment pools known as sovereign wealth funds aren’t new, but they’re growing fast, causing heartburn for politicians and policymakers and leading [...]