Each day I receive an incident bulletin, one of the services provided to clients by a global security services firm, and one which brings me updates on protests, security breaches, suicide attacks, shootouts, violent unrest and other conflicts from around the globe, daily. (Those wishing for a more cheery comment than the last issue’s may wish to stop reading now.) These are all in fact just a few of the events that took place in the space of just a week – and it is far from an exhaustive list, either. As we show in our cover story, the events unfolding now are something of a throwback to the Seventies, as oil prices soared and the economy sputtered. Financial and political risk experts believe that, once again, there is little to be optimistic about. As in the Seventies, growth is grinding to a halt and Iran is at the centre of a more volatile political risk environment. Another echo comes in the form of the sharp rise in costs for companies and consumers. Food price rises and shortages have already provoked riots across the globe. With further unrest threatened, companies are becoming increasingly concerned over their exposure to physical damage to assets caused by civil commotion, or to actions taken by governments in response. Time will tell whom the winners and losers will be.

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