Aon says 'scope and shape' of terror threats are shifting
The scope and shape of terrorist threats around the world are shifting, according to Aon's 2007 Terrorism Threat Map.
This means that the vulnerabilities in a company’s operations and revenue streams are also shifting, heightening the importance of fully understanding the changing nature of a business’ exposures, the broker said.
The analysis for this year’s threat map, which provides an objective view of the terrorist threat in over 200 countries, indicates an apparent weakening of the Al-Qaeda network and those terrorist groups operating under its umbrella.
Paul Bassett, executive director of Aon Crisis Management, said: “The war on terror, especially in Afghanistan, appears to be disrupting the command and control element of Al Qaeda.
"Terror groups/cells at a country level are also more fragmented, resulting in lower levels of coordination.
“This has a downside, however, in that the many and varied plots are often unrelated. Just because one plot has been stopped in a certain country does not mean that other unrelated plots have been stopped or disrupted and vigilance is as critical as ever”, Paul added.
On the other side of the coin, as terror networks become more fragmented and less coordinated, intelligence and counter-terrorism authorities appear to becoming more coordinated and organised on a global basis.
The implications for business are significant. “Businesses need to realise that the level and shape of the risk is constantly evolving,” Paul warned.
“As the risk profile changes, as parts of the world become more or less vulnerable to attack, the vulnerabilities in a business’ operations and revenue streams also change.
“As conflicts in the Middle East change and mature, for example, we are likely to see more movement of Jihadists between countries, perhaps returning from conflicts to their home nation, which again influences the shape and scope of terrorism risk.”
