Bourse & Bazaar Foundation

Our original account, @BourseBazaar is compromised and X Support has been unable to help regain access. So we are starting anew with @BourseBazaarFdn! Follow us for wide ranging analysis on economic diplomacy and economic development in West and Central Asia.

During our session on Green Industrialization at the Rihla Summit, panelists discussed how to connect clean energy with existing industries and put policies and financing in place to make projects feasible. The discussion also emphasized the need to plan education and training alongside investment, giving young people clearer pathways into the jobs these projects create. Moderated by @me_albreiki of the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting, the session featured @NadimAbillama of the International Energy Agency; @DianaAthamneh, Energy Transition and Sustainability Expert; @ImadAhmed of the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation; Duy Linh Nguyen of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; and @JitsaiS of Youth for Energy Southeast Asia. Watch the full discussion on our YouTube channel: lnkd.in/dHnf-7Ng

The Trump administration is making it harder for Cuba to buy oil abroad while allowing American companies to sell fuel to Cuban private businesses. Cuba received about $232 million in U.S. fuel between January and August 2026, even as households continued to face prolonged blackouts. In a new article for The Sanctions Age, published in collaboration with @weareceda, Lydia Mackey and Josefine Petrick argue that Washington is worsening Cuba’s energy crisis while positioning the U.S. as its only source of relief. As sanctions pressure pushes foreign companies to pull back, U.S. investors are also pursuing stakes in strategic industries such as nickel and cobalt mining. The authors warn that deals made without public oversight could give those investors a financial interest in keeping Cuba’s current leaders in power. They also call on Washington to end its de facto oil blockade to ease the humanitarian crisis and to consult Cuban civil society and diaspora communities on decisions that will shape Cuba’s economic future. Read the full article: open.substack.com/pub/thesan…

On November 2, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met separately with Iranian and Saudi security officials in Beijing, while Xi Jinping discussed the war and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. The meetings bring renewed attention to an argument by @MehranHaghirian made in a May analysis. China could use its influence to end the war on Iran and the instability in the Gulf. China’s role matters because of its interface with nearly every part of this crisis. It is the guarantor of the 2023 Iran-Saudi agreement signed in Beijing, and has been engaged with Pakistan and others in mediation efforts since the war began. It has used its position at the United Nations to shape the multilateral response to the crisis, and is the foremost customer of energy from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and from Iran. Its firms, trading networks, and nationals have been affected by U.S. sanctions, the risks around the Strait of Hormuz, and the disruption caused by the war. Read the full analysis: open.substack.com/pub/bourse…

Stronger coordination on environmental policy and project preparation could help GCC countries turn their financial capacity into viable green investment. In her vision speech at the Rihla Summit, Dr. Mariam Al Busaidi drew on Oman’s experience to discuss GCC cooperation on environmental policy, common indicators to measure results of green investments, and joint project preparation to help promising ideas attract finance. For her full speech: lnkd.in/dX67UXmh

Despite economic turmoil and military conflict in Iran, Iranian entrepreneurs are looking towards the future by building AI startups. In our latest analysis, @HosseinHamdieh examines the growing interest in AI among Iranian tech experts, highlighting how their entrepreneurial efforts reflect optimism about technology and innovation in Iran, even amid the economic pressures of war and sanctions. He sheds light on the AI Innovation Factory of Iran (AIIF), an innovation hub designed to connect three things that too often remain disconnected: technical talent, venture capital, and the needs of established industries. While innovation cannot replace diplomacy, AI could help preserve the technological skills needed for Iran’s economic recovery and future growth. Read the full article: open.substack.com/pub/bourse…

In a new essay for @thebafflermag, @yarbatman explores the history of brickwork in Iran, examining how its contemporary revival reflects the country’s creativity and resilience. This resilience, however, should not overshadow the constraints facing Iranian architects and engineers. Esfandyar traces how the embrace of concrete and steel during the Pahlavi era diminished the prestige of traditional bricklaying. For decades, Iran’s most skilled bricklayers worked primarily on restoring historic sites. Today, a combination of sanctions and protectionist policies have restricted access to modern construction materials and technologies, making brick one of the few available avenues for architectural innovation. Although brick has regained prestige in contemporary architecture, attracting international attention online, the workers skilled in this craft have yet to see comparable improvements in their social standing or economic circumstances. Read the full article: thebaffler.com/salvos/brick-…

Our Rihla Summit South and Southeast Asia session explored what it takes to turn GCC interest in green industries into projects ready for investment, with commitments to local jobs, skills, and technology transfer. Saurabh Jain-Punamiya, Railla Veronica Puno, Kantheera (Dream) Tipkanjanarat, Usman Manzoor, and Samantha Youngeun Shin joined moderator Dang-Dao Nguyen to discuss project preparation, co-development, and transition finance. Watch the full session on the Rihla Youtube Channel: lnkd.in/d-Gjd-V6

Our Executive Director of Research and Programs @MehranHaghirian joined Raouiae Khouyi on the @PolicyCenterNS podcast to discuss his June article, “The Global Costs of Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz,” and how the economic consequences have evolved since its publication. The conversation covers the effects on trade, fertilizer supplies, and food security, particularly in developing economies, and how stronger regional cooperation and deeper economic ties among GCC states, Iran, and Iraq could help reduce the risk and impact of future conflicts. Listen to the full conversation: on.soundcloud.com/UfN1AhSpJe… Read the article: policycenter.ma/publications…

In a new explainer for The Sanctions Age, Poorvika Mehra of the Charity & Security Network examines how expanded U.S. sanctions against the ICC threaten the financial infrastructure and international cooperation that sustain its work. Even where general licenses permit transactions, banks and service providers may withdraw rather than navigate compliance risks, disrupting essential operations. To protect the ICC, Mehra calls for practical measures to keep banking and payment services available to the Court and its civil society partners, alongside diplomatic opposition to the sanctions. Read the full explainer: open.substack.com/pub/thesan…

Our Rihla Summit session on Central Asia and the Caucasus – Powering the Next Stage of Growth explored how reliable power, water efficiency, and community engagement can turn investment commitments into lasting benefits for investors and local communities. Thank you to the moderator and lead for Rihla’s Central Asia and the Caucasus Council, Shakhlo Kamaladinova, and to all our participants on the panel. Watch the full session: youtu.be/6qPbos8QLKc?si=bf6n…

After a year in which tariffs largely overshadowed sanctions, the U.S. Treasury has launched an initiative to “modernize” U.S. sanctions, aiming to revise how sanctions are imposed and lifted. In our most recent #explainer for The Sanctions Age, @AlexZerden, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and Bologna Initiative member, examines what the initiative amounts to so far. He argues that the Treasury’s first steps are meaningful, but modest against OFAC lists of more than 17,000 entries. To make the modernization program truly effective, Zerden calls for greater detail on the initiative to engage the private sector, civil society, and foreign governments, and warns that without guardrails, the process could be open to corruption. Read the full explainer: thesanctionsage.com/p/explai…

Speaking to @RewertHoffer for @NZZ, Bourse & Bazaar Foundation Director of Client Advisory Darius Barik explained that the depletion of Iran’s oil reserves at sea is significant, but it does not necessarily mean it will push Tehran to concede to U.S. demands. Barik noted that years of sanctions have accustomed Iran’s economy to sustained pressure. He also considered a popular uprising over economic conditions unlikely, as many Iranians are focused on getting by rather than joining mass protests. His assessment highlights the limits of assuming that greater economic hardship will translate into political concessions. Read the full article: nzz.ch/international/irans-s…

Our MENA - Financing the Green Transition session at the Rihla Summit examined how investment can reach underserved communities and respond to local priorities. The session was held in partnership with the @CarbounInst and moderated by Karim Elgendy, who joined Rihla MENA council members Mustafa Ansari, Dina Zayed, @ShadaElsharif, and Syed Husain Quadri to discuss adaptation, stronger project preparation, and the policies and coordination needed to turn investment interest into lasting benefits. Watch the full session to hear more about our participants perspectives on green investment in the MENA region: youtu.be/_66_2erK1Gs?si=OLY_…

In a new Bourse & Bazaar Foundation analysis, @khalidaljufairi examines why Saudi Arabia’s expanding security commitments have yet to translate into effective deterrence, and what is needed for lasting security. He argues that while the Mecca pact with Turkey and Pakistan signals a commitment to collective defence, the terms of military intervention remain unclear. Meanwhile, Trump’s refusal to engage militarily against the Houthis following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s request highlights the limits of American support and raises questions about what Saudi Arabia can expect from its security partners. Al-Jufairi also emphasizes that the Houthis retain their own political and territorial ambitions, meaning reduced Iranian support would not necessarily lead to restraint or a settlement. Read the full analysis: bourseandbazaar.substack.com…

In “Economic Sanctions and the Politics of Humanitarianism,” published in the Journal of International Humanitarian Action, Bologna Initiative for Sanctions Relief member Sara Moussavi argues that aid withdrawal can function as an additional form of economic pressure, compounding the effects of sanctions and undermining humanitarian protections. She calls for clearer, more consistent exemptions and practical support to ensure aid can reach those who need it, otherwise, “sanctions and aid cuts risk becoming mutually reinforcing attacks on civilian survival.” Read the full article: link.springer.com/article/10…