The fall of Bashar Al Assad has substantially reshaped Syria’s security landscape, with knock-on effects for the country’s illicit economy. Richard Gardiner explores how the new status quo is driving a rise in extortion and kidnapping in some areas, entrenching these activities in others, and the implications for prospective foreign investors.
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…
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.
As government forces prepare a final offensive on the last-standing rebel stronghold in Syria, humanitarian agencies will be eager to re-enter the country to provide much-needed assistance to those severely affected by the conflict. Yet, despite the anticipated reduction in fighting amid the extension of government control, NGO operations in Syria will…