Growing European radicalism, neo-Nazis, violence, kidnapping, terrorism, electronic warfare, blossoming anti-Americanism, etc. Welcome to the New Year. Happy, happy, happy.
It will be a new year, yet another in the new millennium. The history of the past year and the outlook for the next are globally lacking in the “Happy” department however.
There are and will be so many lists (Check out BC Magazine's Best Books of 2006, Best Albums..., Best DVDs of 2006 ) and there will be: best gaudy cars, biggest spammers, stupidest celebrities, most ostentatious rich, silliest inventions, most useless gadgets, etc.; that I thought we should throw in some global threats just to keep it fair in a world sadly lacking in justice.
The latest such list is seen in the Overseas Security Advisory Council's (OSAC) report just released on the top 10 trends in global security threats affecting the private sector in 2006 with an implied prognostication of more of the same for 2007.
Increased political radicalism, rising crime and corruption, pirating of intellectual property, and military conflict were among the top security challenges of 2006 confronting U.S. businesses, nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions operating abroad...
They also note the growing menace of neo-Nazi and other right-wing groups in Europe along with a “steady increase in radicalism” on what we thought was to be the “civilized” continent. It is now a continent under-going deep divisions and threats, immigration waves and defenses, proposals and controversies much as the US is struggling with its relationships to its southern neighbors.
BE AWARE OF YOUR OWN SECURITY
Crime and violence are on the rise in the world. “In Latin America and the Americas kidnapping is "evolving as a global threat". The OSAC said “abductions for profit pose a particular problem to U.S. entities in Latin America." The analysis went on to say that "In the Americas, kidnapping has now become its own cottage industry."
Private citizens, business people, investors and retirees should check out the OSAC's web-site for “security trends” world-wide before traveling for business, looking for retirement locations or planning commercial investments. The OSAC is described on the US State Department site as:
if (preg_match('/ THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY. Not long ago Vice-Admiral Thomas R. Wilson, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) made an official statement to the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence (2001) on “Global Threats And Challenges Through 2015” Howard writes on science, books, movies and news for Blogcritics and on his own blogs from the border of North and Central America. 
Article Author: Howard Dratch
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Article comments
1 - Clavos
Interesting report, Howard.
Kidnapping for profit most definitely is, as you say, a cottage industry in Latin America; every friend I have there is concerned and alert to the possibility.
There was an article in the Herald a few months ago about wealthy latinos who have chosen to move to Miami in part because of the kidnapping problem. In it, a Guatemalan businessman who lives on Key Biscayne and commutes to his job in Guatemala City was asked by the reporter why he went through all that hassle. His answer has stuck with me; he said:
"Because in Guatemala, when my little girl goes to her ballet lessons, she rides in a convoy of three armored cars with armed bodyguards. Here, she rides her bicycle."
And Mr. Tancredo thinks Miami is a "third world city." He has no idea...