Posted by Spoons on 20 Feb 2012 in Blog, Corruption, Cyber Crime, Organised Crime, Political Risk
Companies operating in the modern business environment face an array of ever more sophisticated traditional and contemporary threats. One of the most pervasive risks is fraud, which now constitutes an intrinsic component of a wide range of ever expanding criminal activity. Keeping abreast of the latest incidents in the world of fraud is, therefore, becoming an increasingly difficult yet essential part of both current and future operations. With this in mind, the Inkerman Group have created the ‘Fraud Weekly’ a new free email which offers subscribers a timely snapshot of the week’s most interesting and important developments. If you are interested in subscribing to this essential publication please contact marketing@inkerman.com
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Posted by Desmond on 10 Feb 2012 in Blog, East Asia, Elections, Organised Crime, Political Risk
In a week when Indonesia’s powerhouse economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter of 2011 (with Indonesian GDP figures now surpassing 6.5%), Indonesia has already set about reshaping its economy from one primarily based on low value-added sectors, such as raw material exports, to a more modern economy as a processor of its natural resources with higher domestic consumption not reliant on government subsidies. This process although pledged by the Democratic Party (PD) led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his election campaign ahead of the April 2009 polls, is a path which was not expected to be embarked on fully until at least 2015. It is possible that following Yudhoyono’s re-election in the July 2011 presidential elections, and that the next elections are scheduled to be held in 2014, that he is seeking to attract greater foreign direct investment (FDI) into Indonesia as one of the primary means for funding this transition.
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Posted by Spoons on 9 Feb 2012 in Blog, Central Asia, Corruption, Organised Crime, Political Risk
It appears that a hunger strike which swept through Kyrgyzstan’s prison population, following a riot at a Bishkek holding facility on 16 January 2012, has all but come to an end. There have been reports that during the strike, as many as 6,000 of the country’s 9,000 prison population refused food, and as many as 2,000 sewed their mouths shut. Now that the action appears to have come to an end, rumours have been circulating as to the genuine reason behind the protests which officially came as part of a general demand for better living conditions for inmates. The most common recurring theory being that the inmates have been acting purely on the “orders” of organised criminals both inside and outside the prison walls. If true, this revelation highlights just how entrenched and pervasive organised crime is within the former soviet country and is a perfect example of how complex a challenge tackling it can be for the state.
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Posted by Charlie on 17 Nov 2011 in Blog, Latin America, Organised Crime, Political Risk
(Image: Google Maps – Areas in which the curfew was imposed under the terms of the State of Emergency)
On 07 November 2011, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, announced that the government was lifting a night-time curfew which accompanied the limited State of Emergency (SOE) implemented in the country on 21 August 2011, in response to high rates of violent crime. While the SOE period has seen a demonstrable decrease in the rates of crime, it is arguably the case that the current action will not precipitate a sustainable improvement in the security situation without the implementation of a long term strategy on crime prevention.
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Posted by Spoons on 14 Oct 2011 in Blog, Corruption, Eastern Europe, Organised Crime, Political Risk
The recent anti-Roma protests throughout Bulgaria and in particular in the capital, Sofia, saw the familiar spectre of an underlying growing support for right wing political parties and social movements since the fall of Communism rear its head again in Eastern Europe. However, to explain these protests on an outbreak of racist and nationalist feeling would not only be tarring all protesters with the same tainted brush, but would also dramatically oversimplify the issue and ignore the desperately poor region’s crippling and endemic issues of unemployment, organised crime and corruption.
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Posted by Charlie on 10 Oct 2011 in Blog, Corruption, Military Activity, Organised Crime, Political Risk, South Asia
On 07 October 2011, the world reluctantly marked the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, as concerns persist over the prospects for “lasting” security for the Afghan people once ISAF forces withdraw in 2014. Reflecting on the challenges facing the country, on 06 October 2011, retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal, who commanded coalition forces in the country in 2009 – 2010 (before being controversially forced to resign following a magazine article in which it was considered that he had criticised President Barack Obama), said in an address to the Council on Foreign Relations: “We didn’t know enough and we still don’t know enough…Most of us — me included — had a very superficial understanding of the situation and history, and we had a frighteningly simplistic view of recent history, the last 50 years.” McChrystal noted that of the remaining tasks to be accomplished in the country, the most difficult may be to create a legitimate government that ordinary Afghans can believe in and that can serve as a counterweight to the Taliban.
Here we look at the current situation in Afghanistan, reflecting on changing Taliban tactics in response to ongoing ISAF operations, and highlighting that while the ISAF is making some progress, the Taliban is proving itself to be a resilient enemy. Of particular concern is the view that, while an opportunity may be being created, the country is not in a position to capitalise upon this because the government is yet to inspire the confidence of the people.
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