While 2021 appears to show a decrease in attacks targeting aid workers, especially compared to 2020, the deteriorating security environment in several countries suggest the positive trend may not continue in 2022, writes Darren Davids.
The arrests of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in China in December 2018, just days after Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Vancouver, were undoubtedly linked. Despite China’s espionage allegations against the pair and their subsequent convictions, they were released shortly after Meng was…
With a resurgence of kidnapping in 2021 following a Covid-19-driven hiatus the previous year, Markus Korhonen looks at some of the emerging trends in kidnapping, and how those are likely to be sustained over the coming twelve months.
With the continued increase in global vaccination levels, travel bans are easing as countries restart their tourism sectors. Erin Drake writes that while travel dynamics may look a little different in 2022, the usual security threats remain.
Democracy is at risk and the threat of political violence is on the rise write Gabrielle Reid and Gala Riani. According to the Global State of Democracy 2021 report, more than a quarter of the world’s population reside in ‘democratically backsliding’ countries. Together with those living in outright non-democratic regimes, these jurisdictions make up…
The Covid-19 pandemic and its knock-on effects have driven protests worldwide since 2020. Erin Drake writes that protests over climate change, anti-vaccine mandates and anti-austerity measures will remain disruptive, and in some cases gain ground through 2022.
Darren Davids writes that terror plots in Europe and the US will continue to manifest as traditional lone-wolf attacks in 2022. However, in weaker states in Africa and the Middle East, porous borders, security vacuums and a lack of governance will continue to enable the spread of Islamic extremism.
2021 saw a number of key developments on the war front, from Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban to the dramatic turnaround in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict. With little in terms of resolution to armed conflicts across the globe, 2022 is likely to see war remain a major threat in parts of Asia, Africa, Middle East, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe, with…
The spate of recent coups seen in Africa thus far in 2021 are a stark reminder of the need for robust crisis management and political evacuation plans for hostile operating environments, writes Gabrielle Reid.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces have been under military administration since May. Yet, despite promises of increased security, attacks against civilians have continued as the government prioritises the security of strategic thoroughfares, writes Darren Davids.
The recent rise in global food prices, driven by several factors ranging from the Covid-19 pandemic to climate shocks, could become a catalyst for increased political instability and civil unrest, writes Darren Davids.
Anti-vaccine protests have become a global phenomenon with varying driving factors ranging from low levels of trust in government to safety fears over the vaccines. Darren Davids writes that, governments and businesses will have to find creative solutions to get people to vaccinate given the cost and impact of renewed waves of infection.