Tag Archives: terrorism

Travel Security Analysis: Business travel to Lebanon: Is it safe?

By Max Security’s Intelligence Department

For decades, perceptions of Lebanon have been as conflicted as the country itself. The capital, Beirut has been dubbed by some as a focal point for terrorism and civil unrest, while others maintain that its vibrant culture and western lifestyle rival that of many European capitals.  For the past decade, Lebanon has succeeded in restoring its pre-civil war glory, becoming one of the eastern-Mediterranean’s primary business and tourism hubs.  Despite these advancements, the same sectarian and political divides which fueled years of armed conflict continue to cast a shadow over stability in Lebanon, threatening a complete collapse of stability at a moment’s notice.  In July 2006, armed conflict between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah militia resulted in widespread damage the Beirut, as well as transportation and infrastructure throughout the country. In 2008, Hezbollah and other Shia factions staged an armed takeover of Beirut in a matter of hours after the government threatened to dismantle its telecommunications network at the city’s international airport.

Today, a number of issues threaten stability in Lebanon to the point where various nations have issued warnings against travel to the country. Continue reading Travel Security Analysis: Business travel to Lebanon: Is it safe?

Algeria is North Africa’s Last Line of Defense Against Islamic Extemism

By Daniel N.
Despite its repressive nature, Algeria’s Bouteflicka regime is the last remaining obstacle between Islamic extremists and the complete destabilization of North Africa.
While the world continues to focus on the implications of a destabilized Libya, Algeria has been working diligently to prevent a resurgent Al Qaeda from toppling its regime in its quest to install an Islamic Caliphate in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Since the Libyan conflict first broke out in February 2011, a wave of terror attacks has hit Algeria as the result of an increasingly porous border and the absence of Gaddafi, perhaps Bouteflicka’s most important ally in its war on terror.
For the past two decades, the secular regime of Abdelaziz Bouteflicka has been the target of local Islamic extremist groups that have recently extended their fight beyond Algeria, setting their sights on North Africa in its entirety. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) traces its roots back to a failed revolution attempt which began in 1992 when Algeria’s military government canceled the second round of parliamentary elections since it seemed evident that an Islamist coalition would take power. In the years that followed, Algeria descended into a bloody civil war as extremist groups led by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) killed tens of thousands of civilians in their efforts to topple the government.  Continue reading Algeria is North Africa’s Last Line of Defense Against Islamic Extemism