Roads
“If you want to get rich, build roads,” goes an old Chinese saying. I would add: if you want to shape the world, build the roads everyone else must use. From Ancient Persia’s Royal Road and the Roman Empire’s stone arteries to today’s fiber-optic cables under the Red Sea and new corridors across the Caucasus, whoever controls the routes controls the flow of people, goods, data — and daily life.
Ancient Silk Roads
More than just trade routes, the Silk Roads were the lifelines of ancient civilizations—spanning continents and carrying silk, spices, ideas, religions, and technologies across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. These interconnected paths shaped cultures, sparked empires, and wove the world into its first global network long before globalization had a name.
Resources: Blessing or Curse?
Have you ever come across people who became instantly rich, be it through winning the lottery or some other stroke of luck, only to squander their newfound wealth and end up in a worse financial state than they started? What if I tell you that countries are much like people?
Some nations are blessed with abundant natural resources that have the potential to drive economic growth, elevate living standards, and pave the way for development. However, there's a puzzling paradox at play.
Oil: A Journey Through History
Oil is a potent liquid that fuels our world and impacts our daily lives. The modern history of oil began in the 19th century when George Bissell and his associates sent a crude oil sample to Professor Benjamin Silliman at Yale University, hoping to distill it. Silliman's groundbreaking revelation confirmed the possibility of distilling kerosene, sparking the exploration and drilling for crude oil. So began the global game for oil and gas.
Wheat: The Crop That Shaped Civilizations and Histories
Wheat is more than just a staple food; it’s a crop that has shaped the course of human history. From ancient empires to modern global economies, wheat has been at the heart of human civilization, driving trade, conflict, and innovation. Its journey through time reflects the rise and fall of empires, the creation of social structures, and the persistent quest for food security.
Trading Air
The air trade industry is transforming one of the world’s most basic resources into a luxury item. From the snowy peaks of the Rockies to the lush valleys of New Zealand, clean air is now captured, compressed, and shipped globally. But how did we reach this point?