The extractive industry – including mining, oil and gas exploration, dredging and quarrying – is one of the most vulnerable to kidnapping and extortion. Looking ahead to 2020, these industries’ often remote operating locations with limited rule of law, and the perception of industry actors as lucrative targets, are likely to persist as key factors contributing…
The largest anti-government protest campaign since 2015 has taken the ruling establishment by surprise, and may have significant implications for Lebanese political stability, writes Saif Islam.
Since the first examples of CBRN agents being used in warfare, developments in treatment and prevention have been struggling to keep up. Options to mitigate the harmful effects of CBRN agents on the civilian population have been relatively limited until recent years.
An attack on the world’s biggest crude processing facility in Saudi Arabia has fueled growing tensions in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia and the US pointing to Iran as the culprit. Bilal Bassiouni assesses the possible trajectories of this latest escalation
Attacks against and seizures of merchant vessels in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman amid increased tensions between Iran and the US could result in a major military escalation, with serious implications for regional security and the global economy, writes Saif Islam..
The ongoing fighting in Tripoli has not only killed and injured thousands of people in and around the Libyan capital but has also exacerbated the threat of wrongful detention faced by foreign nationals, writes Saif Islam.
Islamic State has responded to its territorial losses in Iraq with a return to its insurgent roots, which, along with security vulnerabilities present in the country, could intensify the threat of kidnapping, writes Saif Islam.
In this article, we look at three prominent case studies from different parts of the world to demonstrate the nature and extent of the security risks facing commercial operators in the oil and gas sector.
Leader of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar’s latest assault on Tripoli has made his ambitions of leading Libya clear. Yet, in the absence of a swift military victory and the LNA’s failure to unify Libya’s myriad stakeholders, the move on Tripoli has severely jeopardised chances for a political settlement, writes Bilal Bassiouni.
Mass protests in February and March in Algeria, reminiscent of the 2011 Arab Spring, may have ended President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s political career, but they are unlikely to challenge the existing political order, writes Bilal Bassiouni.
In 2018, the frequency and impact of cyberextortion and other types of cybercrime increased notably. Not only have the attacks become more frequent, but incidents of cyber-crime have also become more sophisticated, and have impacted a range of important industries, including healthcare, government, financial services and manufacturing.
As key players debate the impact of climate change on the international stage, domestically, governments across the globe are being put to the test in their responses to natural hazards.