Violence as a Service (VaaS) networks have proliferated over the past year, in which kidnapping, extortion and assassinations, among other crimes, are commissioned, brokered and carried out transnationally. Shannon Lorimer argues that these fragmented chains complicate law enforcement detection, exposing private companies to new security and commercial…
While extortion and kidnapping have long been features of Mexico’s criminal landscape, recent incidents, including the kidnapping of 10 workers from a Canadian-owned mining site, highlight the persistent threat to Mexico’s business environment, writes Shannon Lorimer.
From energy prices to supply chains to global productivity, the impact of the Middle East conflict has been nothing short of extensive. While the trajectory of the conflict remains uncertain, Shannon Lorimer explores the volatility, instability and disruption likely to persist even in the case of a de-escalation.
The proliferation of social media, digital currencies and artificial intelligence (AI) has provided new avenues for threat actors to enhance kidnapping and extortion schemes. As continued technological advancements diversify victim profiles and complicate efforts to curb these crimes, the threat is likely to persist and continue to evolve in the coming…
Despite heavy losses on the battlefield in 2023 and 2024, major territorial gains by Myanmar’s military in the past few months have signalled a recent shift in the military’s favour. With elections scheduled for December 2025, the junta’s ongoing offensive to secure strategic towns and transport arteries is increasingly intertwined with efforts to secure…
In 2025, extortion and associated violence have continued to skyrocket in Peru, targeting a wide range of sectors, including those previously thought to be immune. Shannon Lorimer looks at the conditions enabling and fuelling extortion, as the practice and its implications continue to disrupt commercial operations and threaten political stability.
A spike in violence by militant groups in recent months reflects a deteriorating security landscape in Colombia. This increase, alongside weakened security forces, and a breakdown in peace negotiations with armed groups, has heightened concerns ahead of the elections in March 2026, writes Shannon Lorimer.
In mid-2025, informal miners in Peru blockaded highways in multiple parts of the country in response to the government’s decision to remove thousands from a registry which allowed them to operate legally. With tens of thousands of miners affected, and the government facing growing pressure from lawmakers to curb illegal mining, Shannon Lorimer argues…
After being re-elected to serve his first full term as Ecuador’s president, Daniel Noboa faces significant challenges to improve the country’s dire security situation. His approach will define the country’s security trajectory for the coming years, writes Shannon Lorimer.
Mexico’s judicial reforms have the potential to politicise judges and undermine the rule of law, weakening the country’s already fragile judicial institutions. These moves hand the ruling party more influence, and threaten further demonstrations, decreased investor confidence and political instability, writes Shannon Lorimer.
While Iran has long used proxies to advance its strategic objectives in the Middle East, it has increasingly leveraged relationships with criminal networks to advance its objectives on European soil, allowing for plausible deniability while avoiding a costly military confrontation at home, write Richard Gardiner and Shannon Lorimer.
Difficulties in navigating varying policy positions among the largest parties in South Africa’s unity government have highlighted the significant challenges facing the coalition. In the absence of a mechanism to handle these disputes, political infighting looks likely to persist, writes Shannon Lorimer.