Global

The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (High Seas Treaty) recently came into effect, and could inform the future use of international waters and the seabed. International waters and seabeds offer resources that are increasingly sought after. Affecting critical industries and supply chains, a variety of actors will likely be affected if the High Seas Treaty comes to full implementation and ratification.

Digital infrastructure is becoming a conflict target. Recent drone strikes affecting cloud facilities in the UAE and Bahrain show that hyperscale data centres may now face physical security risks during regional conflict. The Gulf functions as both an energy and digital chokepoint. Critical subsea fibre optic cables linking Europe, Asia and Africa pass through the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz, placing global internet connectivity alongside major maritime trad

China’s annual Two Sessions meetings have offered insight into the country’s direction in the coming years. The meetings have been overshadowed by a sweeping purge of China’s military leadership, fuelling speculation over political infighting at the top of the PLA. Beijing’s lowest GDP growth target in decades underscores mounting economic strain, as deflation, trade frictions, and structural weaknesses constrain China’s recovery despite ambitious employment goals.

In February, tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated into one of the most serious confrontations between the two countries in years. Cross-border airstrikes, retaliatory attacks, and accusations over militant safe havens have highlighted the fragility of security along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier.

Township violence reflects long-standing structural inequality, unemployment, and limited economic mobility. Illegal mining networks have become powerful criminal systems. They don’t just steal resources; they control territory with weapons, ensuring that communities live in fear.   Reducing crime requires more than police alone. Without public trust in the police and government institutions, long-term stability becomes difficult.

The latest phase of the Israel–US–Iran confrontation has moved beyond signalling into direct and measurable pressure on the global energy system. What distinguishes this episode is not only the targeting of specific assets, but the simultaneous stress imposed on production capacity, export processing hubs and maritime transit. The result is not merely a geopolitical risk premium, but a layered supply constraint with identifiable volumes at stake. Markets are no longer pricing

The regional security environment has entered a period of sustained escalation following coordinated US and Israeli strikes against Iranian leadership and military infrastructure. Iran’s response through missile and drone attacks across Israel and multiple Gulf states demonstrates a strategy aimed less at direct battlefield advantage and more at expanding the geographic scope of the conflict.

Despite the violent retaliation by the cartel members, the operation perceived internally to have been a success, both for Mexican authorities and for the future of joint coordination work with Washington. While short-term insecurities were largely stamped down, more violence and clashes are expected in the long term until the cartel finds a new head. Further political, business and security risks cannot be discounted in the weeks ahead especially in the state of Jalis

Organised crime has evolved into a geopolitical threat, shaping sanctions evasion, cyber activity, and hybrid conflict dynamics. Law enforcement remains essential but is limited by jurisdictional, legal, and political constraints that criminal networks exploit. Intelligence-led, multi-agency approaches are needed to identify and disrupt risks before they become prosecutable offences.

The United States is pivoting toward an aggressive and transformative maritime strategy because its domestic shipbuilding capacity has reached a critical point of decay, currently constructing less than one per cent of the world's commercial ships. For decades, the nation has suffered from a lack of strategic focus and a degradation of federal investment in the maritime industrial base (MIB), which has driven up costs and discouraged the operation of ships under the American

Copper-driven growth is reshaping Zambia’s economy, with booming demand from AI, green energy and defence sectors boosting GDP growth and attracting billions in foreign investment. Global competition for copper is intensifying, as major powers and new investors race to secure supply, positioning Zambia as a strategic player in the energy transition.

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2026 on 13-15 February 2026 matters less as a problem-solving forum and more as a signal of how global elites are adapting to sustained instability. The dominant threat landscape is defined by grey-zone conflict, hybrid warfare, economic coercion, and AI-enabled disruption rather than conventional war alone. The conference signals the next 12 months will be shaped by hedging, deterrence, and resilience planning rather than confidence in

On 07 January 2026, rail infrastructure was targeted by saboteurs, causing significant disruption to train services on the opening day of the Winter Olympic Games. Three distinct incidents were reported in Bologna, and another in Pesaro. Electrical cables used to detect train speeds were found severed in Bologna, while a rudimentary improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered by a track at a nearby location. Additionally, a cabin housing a track switch was set on fire ne

Maritime ports handle the vast majority of global trade, but limited inspection and complex logistics systems create vulnerabilities that organised crime networks can exploit. Criminal groups rely on insider access, corruption, and the manipulation of port data and container reference codes to bypass security controls and extract illicit goods with minimal detection.

A second Korean War could be far deadlier than the first, with modern nuclear and conventional capabilities raising the potential human cost. Pyongyang has expanded nuclear, missile, conventional, cyber, biological, and chemical capabilities, maintaining a deterrent posture while preparing for potential conflict. Seoul relies on advanced conventional forces, a growing blue-water navy, air superiority, and a US nuclear umbrella to counterbalance North Korean aggression.

Proxy warfare has become a central tool of geopolitical competition, allowing states to pursue strategic objectives while avoiding direct military confrontation. Modern proxy conflicts are increasingly globalised and multidomain, spanning conventional battlefields, maritime chokepoints, cyberspace, and information environments. While proxies offer plausible deniability and cost efficiency, they significantly increase escalation risk, reduce accountability, and can draw major

Western Sahara is a territory disputed between the Sahrawis, claiming independence under the Polisario Front, and Morocco. ●       Morocco proposed an autonomy plan in 2007 that was recently voted on and widely recognised by UN member states in 2025. ●       Increasing international backing of Morocco and the Polisario Front’s growing openness to peace discussions indicate a future of economic and political stability after decades of contentious relations.

Violence against women and girls in the UK represents a widespread structural problem rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances. Affecting millions of women each year, its scale and persistence justify its recognition as a national emergency rather than a collection of individual crimes.

IoT devices significantly expand organisational attack surfaces and are increasingly targeted due to weak security by design. Criminal exploitation of IoT is systematic and scalable, enabling botnets, credential markets, and covert network intrusion. Insecure IoT devices can be leveraged to disrupt operations, enable data breaches, and amplify wider cybercrime campaigns. Many IoT risks persist due to poor visibility, outdated firmware, and separation between IT and operationa

WEF 2026 in Davos is due see a heightened security presence to counter protests and mitigate against chances of lone-actor and small-cell attack trends, with explicit concern for low-tech attacks, drones and cyber threats.