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Dec 12 2011

A bad week for politics

I have been awake since two thirty this morning. This is normally the case for the first couple of days after arriving in the United States from Europe: long hours of insomnia waiting for the day to begin. Despairing of going back to sleep, I turn on the television. The nomination for the Republican candidate for next year’s presidential election is just heating up and the TV channels are full of speculation as to whether Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney will be the beneficiary of Herman Cain’s exit from the race. Twenty minutes later and I am completely demoralised by the quality of political debate. You want to scream at the television. As an advert for the supposed virtues of democracy – from the nation that was founded on its very principles – this is dreadful.

How can we expect China to give it a go, Russia to take it seriously, Egyptians to embrace it or Syrians to keep dying for it when its greatest exponent has reduced it to a pantomime? It is no better in Europe. The bond markets not the electorate have now decided who will be prime minister in Greece and Italy: two ancient civilizations that were experimenting with forms of semi-representative government when the rest of us were wrestling bears and hiding in caves. [Read more…]

Written by AnnaPurna Consulting · Categorized: Crisis Management, Uncategorized · Tagged: Capitol Hill, Crisis Management, David Cameron, democracy, Euro-regulation, Gettysburg Address, Herman Cain, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Mitt Romney, National Mall, Newt Gingrich, Potomac River, Republican candidate, Thomas Jefferson, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Washington Monument, White House

Mar 28 2011

Lucky or unlucky

In 1993 he was in Guam when a devastating earthquake reduced his hotel to a pile of rubble. In 1995 he was literally pitched out of bed by the vertical jolt that announced the beginning of the Kobe earthquake. And on September 11 2001 he was – yes, you guessed it – in the World Trade Centre in New York when the towers were hit. [Read more…]

Written by AnnaPurna Consulting · Categorized: Crisis Management · Tagged: Benghazi, Crisis Management, crisis resilience, Fukushima 50, Guam earthquake, Kobe earthquake, Los 33, September 11, Tohoku-Kanto earthquake, World Trade Centre

Mar 14 2011

Prepared to endure – responding to Japanese earthquake

A few weeks ago in this blog, I wrote about how the Japanese spiritual connection with the natural world was, in part, a consequence of them living on a string of islands with such turbulent seismology (Metro-madness). Such observations now seem facile in the light of the unfolding human tragedy as Japan recoils from Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

 As I write this, the Japanese authorities are struggling to contain the consequences of the damaged nuclear facility at Fukushima and the death toll is now estimated to be over 10,000. Watching the news footage of the tidal wave racing towards land, one is struck by how linear and controlled the wave looks, almost like a physics experiment manufactured in an enormous laboratory. And then, when it reaches land, it unleashes mayhem, chaos and the most appalling loss of life. [Read more…]

Written by AnnaPurna Consulting · Categorized: Crisis Management, Uncategorized · Tagged: crisis preparedness, Fukushima, Japanese earthquake, Kobe, metro-madness, political renewal, tsunami

Feb 03 2011

Surprise, surprise. Egypt in crisis

As I write this in Dubai, it seems that Hosni Mubarak’s days as President of Egypt are numbered. It reminds us of the transitory nature of power – although in Mubarak’s case the transit took some thirty years – and he hasn’t gone yet. But regimes that one day can seem to be anchor points on the political landscape, around which governments shape foreign policy and businesses structure their approach to key markets, can the next day be in a state of acute flux.

We seem surprised by sudden change. World leaders caught off guard respond with fancy political footwork and carefully coded statements as they rapidly recalibrate alliances. Markets get the jitters. [Read more…]

Written by AnnaPurna Consulting · Categorized: Country analysis, Crisis Management, International relations, Political risk analysis, Political uprising in Middle East and North Africa, Uncategorized · Tagged: Berlin Wall, business continuity, Cairo, Egypt, evacuation, Mubarak, Nelson Mandela, political instability, socio-political shocks, Tahrir Square, Tunisia

Jan 05 2011

Borderlands: managing risks and creating opportunities in Mexico and Colombia

I was in Washington recently for our annual client conference and all the talk was about Mexico. The desperate state of Mexico’s border region is one of the hottest issues around. The brutal turf war being played out by drug-gangs in such close proximity to the US is causing much anxiety. The close ties between the two countries and the extent to which international companies are irreversibly invested in Mexico, makes this an issue that cannot be ignored, however tempting.

Much of the commentary on Mexico suggests the country is on the verge of becoming a failed state. This is an exaggeration and no doubt irritates many Mexicans who in turn underplay the extent of their problems. But at least this viewpoint gives us the opportunity to provide our clients with a more nuanced and useful perspective. [Read more…]

Written by AnnaPurna Consulting · Categorized: Crisis Management, International relations, Political risk analysis, Uncategorized · Tagged: Colombia, corruption, kidnap, Mexican border, Mexico, political violence

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