Royals and espionage have gone together ever since Sun Tzu’s identification to his royal masters in the 4th century BC, of the three different types of intelligence agents he deemed necessary for subsequent military success. In the centuries since, we have seen Julius Caesar’s creation of a spy network to keep track of all the […]
A right Royal case of espionage Read More »
The phrase “The Great Game” has become something of a lazy cliché when referencing anything to do with Central Asia. Regrettably, therefore, it has never been more apt than today. Much as it was during the days of empire, it is once again a hotbed of political and geopolitical struggle. Where aristocrats, warlords, tribesmen and
Central Asia – A House Built on Sand Read More »
‘Facts are sacred’, was the famous maxim of Guardian owner and editor, CP Scott, in the early 1900s. Quite what he would have made of the media of today, where ‘fake news’ runs rampant across social media and disinformation is not only endorsed but enacted by individuals, corporates, and governments alike, we can only imagine.
Disinformation overload Read More »
‘Bronze President’ is not just another nickname for Donald Trump. It is a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that has historically operated in the South Asian region, working across Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Burma (Myanmar), to gather sensitive information of interest to Beijing in its own backyard. But there are signs that the group’s targets are
Mustang Panda, Hidden Dragon Read More »
Welcome to the latest edition of ‘Business Risk Update’ – specifically for our clients and partners to provide a snapshot of latest news and articles from the business. The war in Ukraine has been raging for over two months and, despite heroic Ukrainian resistance, there is no end in sight. The grimmest predictions for the
Business Risk Update Read More »
East Africa is becoming one of the fastest growing economic regions in the world. It is filled with many opportunities for foreign firms, while bringing even greater risks. Corruption is still as pervasive as ever in the eastern region of the continent, with some of the countries having the worst corruption scores (according to Transparency
Climate activism: a new risk to Africa? Read More »
While Vladimir Putin’s daughters may not lose much sleep over their inclusion on the latest sanctions list, the fact that they are on it at all speaks to just how wide an effort has been made to push back against Russia as a result of the war. But equally, the fact that it has come
The list of sanctions against prominent Russian figures grows ever longer. In addition to the ‘usual suspects’ of high-ranking political, economic and military figures, the consequences of the war are now becoming a family affair, with Putin’s two adult children and the daughter of Foreign Minister Lavrov included in the latest round for the first
A sanctioned operation Read More »
Of all the questions asked in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of the most predominant has been “Where next?”. Whether Moscow’s forces had swept into Kyiv as winners of a lighting battle, or mired as they currently are in a ‘long war’, few expect Putin’s horizons to stop at the Ukrainian
Chisinau is the winter of our discontent… Read More »
There was a brief moment when it looked as if Viktor Orban had changed. As the European Union voted to impose wide-ranging sanctions on Russia in a response to their invasion of Ukraine, Hungary’s representative – so often the EU outlier in his autocratic nature and his naked approval towards, and support of, Vladimir Putin
Wheel Of Misfortune Read More »
