Control Risks

CORE In Focus: Episode 3 - Global terrorism outlook following Islamic State's appointment of a new leader

In our latest episode, Federico Saleri speaks to Global Issues analyst Joseph Smith about the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the appointment of his successor, and the implications for global terrorism.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CORE In Focus: Episode 2 - Maritime Security - geo-politics and the price of shipping

In this week’s episode of CORE In Focus, Federico Saleri spoke with Victoria Mitchell and Cormac McGarry to discuss the impact of current geo-political tensions and sanctions on tanker freight rates, and what businesses should do to make sense of the exposure they face.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CORE In Focus: Episode 1 - Egypt's security environment - an outlook for unrest and terrorism

In our first episode of CORE In Focus, Andrew Freeman and Federico Saleri discuss what's next for businesses operating in Egypt in the coming month following protests in Cairo and ongoing attacks by local and IS militants.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A persistent threat: trends in South Africa’s kidnap-for-ransom and extortion landscape

Kidnap and extortion have long been a feature of South Africa's challenging criminal environment. Some recent high-profile kidnap cases have pushed the issue up the corporate security agenda. In this podcast, Control Risks special risks analyst, Sebastian Boe discussses the current state of play.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Change of tactics in virtual kidnapping

The two distinct arcs of virtual kidnapping in the Americas and East Asia have changed. The perpetrators have started to evolve not only their tactics but who they target. Control Risks’ Associate Director of Special Risk Analysis, Nicola White elaborates on these changes and the impact of the crime.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

India's kidnap for ransom risk rises on the back of a growing middle class

Control Risks data shows that the Indian states with the greatest levels of investment have seen the sharpest increases in financially motivated kidnap. In this podcast, Tania Ildefonso and Hemant Shivakumar explore the relationship between politics, economics and the risk of kidnap for both Indian nationals and expatriates.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Political change in Mexico and the impact on kidnap and extortive crime

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will become president of Mexico on 1 December, having campaigned on a platform of tackling violence and organised criminal activity. As well as a historically high murder rate, Mexico struggles with one of the highest kidnap rates in the world. In this Control Risks podcast we discuss whether pledges and polices to tackle crime will see a reduction in the levels of kidnap.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cambio político en México e impacto en tendencias de secuestro extorsivo

Andrés Manuel López Obrador se convertirá en presidente de México el 1 de diciembre, después de una campaña política basada en lidiar con la violencia y el crimen organizado en el país. Así como como una tasa de asesinatos históricamente alta, México lucha contra una de las tasas de secuestro más altas del mundo. En este podcast de Control Risks, exploramos si las promesas y las políticas para hacer frente a la delincuencia se traducirán en una reducción en los niveles de secuestro.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Election preview: Brazil at a turning point

In this Control Risks podcast we hear from Thomaz Favaro, the firm's lead political risk analyst for Brazil and the Southern Cone.

As Brazil slowly recovers from an economic recession and a series of high profile corruption scandals, voters head to the polls on Sunday in what will be the country's most significant presidential election in recent history. Thomaz dials in from São Paulo to discuss the outlook for Brazil and what the final round vote will mean for the business environment. 

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kidnap risk increases in Cameroon

Secessionist groups in the anglophone regions of Cameroon have conducted a growing number of attacks on security forces since the last quarter of 2017. These come on top of a series of protests and strikes since 2016 related to perceived marginalisation by the government of President Paul Biya. The emergence of kidnapping as a secessionist tactic should be of concern to foreign businesses.

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A landmark election in Mexico

In this Control Risks podcast we hear from Eduardo Arcos, one of the firm's political risk analysts covering Mexico.

Mexican voters head to the polls on July 1 in what will be a watershed election for the country during a critical political and economic juncture. Eduardo dials in from Mexico City to discuss the outlook for Sunday's vote and what investors should really expect from the likely victory of leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO). 

---

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Colombia's pivotal election

In this Control Risks podcast we hear from Sergio Guzmán, the firm's lead political risk analyst for Colombia.

As the country gears up for its most pivotal presidential election in decades–the first since the controversial peace deal between the government and the FARC–Sergio dials in from Bogotá to share his pre-election analysis of the race between conservative Ivan Duque and leftist Gustavo Petro, and tells us what investors can expect from the upcoming vote. 

Virtual kidnapping in the United States

Virtual kidnapping is a crime which is traditionally or even principally associated with Latin America. But it is also very common in the US. However, despite how common it is and how much local coverage incidents get, most people still don’t know about virtual kidnapping, and so it continues to thrive. This is partly because virtual kidnapping it isn’t reported on at a national level by large media outlets.

Maritime hijacks increase in Gulf of Guinea

Why are maritime hijacks increasing in the Gulf of Guinea and how can maritime operators mitigate the threat?

The kidnap and security threat in Syria

The Syria conflict is in a new phase following the territorial collapse of IS and the consolidation of the government’s position and territorial advantage. The level of damage to almost every type of infrastructure and commercial operation is huge. Inevitably, companies from across the world are looking at opportunities for working in Syria, but this is not something to be undertaken lightly.

Conflicting governance structures, economic collapse, damaged or destroyed infrastructure, and wide-ranging sanctions make operating in the country extremely challenging. The threat from kidnap-for-ransom will remain extreme in some areas, contributing to a complex and changing security environment.

There is also significant reputational risk and indeed moral hazard associated with investing in a country where numerous and well-publicised human rights abuses have been perpetrated by stakeholders and their associates on all sides.

Podcast contents:

• Islamic State has lost over 90% of the territory it used to control in Syria in mid-2014. Does this translate into a decrease in the kidnap-for-ransom threat?
• What does the kidnap-for-ransom threat mean for organisations and companies seeking to operate in Syria?
• Beyond kidnap-for-ransom, what is the general security situation?
• Outside the security issues, what else should organisations be considering if they want to operate in Syria?

Authors:

• Tania Ildefonso, Special Risks Analyst, Middle East and Asia
• Andrew Freeman, Associate Analyst, Middle East and North Africa