In our latest podcast, Philip Riding, Middle East and Africa Lead Analyst is joined by James Barth, North America Analyst and Dr Guo Yu, Lead Analyst for Asia Pacific, to discuss the G7 Summit in Cornwall.

Leaders of the world's wealthiest economies and major democratic powers (including the EU) have gathered at Cornish seaside town of St. Ives for the 47th summit, which kicks off today. The three-day meeting – US President Joe Biden’s first official foreign trip since his inauguration in January – represents one of the most high-profile events in diplomacy to be held in person since the start of the pandemic. The summit, therefore, serves as an opportunity for the leading advanced economies to discuss important plans and strategy that will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the post-pandemic world order.

The federal elections on 6 June will be the second-largest electoral event in Mexico’s history. Over 20,000 positions will be elected, including the entire lower chamber of the 500-seat Congress, 15 state governors, 30 State congresses, and the authorities of around 1,900 municipalities. Together with Ignacio Ayala, Lat-Am Intelligence Analyst, Alex Parsons, Lead Analyst, the Americas, and Dr Guo Yu, Lead Analyst, Asia Pacific, discuss the significance of the vote, the recent surge of political violence as well as what the likely outlook of Mexico’s political landscape means for business. 

The dual crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and collapse of oil prices have driven significant policy changes amongst many major energy exporters across the Middle East and Africa as governments are forced to address deficiencies in existing industrial models and spending habits. In this podcast Phillip Riding, MEA Lead Analyst, is joined by Benedict Manzin, Sub Saharan Africa Analyst, and Eloise Scott, Middle East Analyst, as they explore common trends, areas of divergence and public responses, with its capacity to stall reform and disrupt the operating environment.

The latest conflict in Gaza has drawn much international attention, as has the prospect of a ceasefire, which materialised this morning. In our latest podcast, Alexander Parsons, Lead Americas Analyst, is joined by Philip Riding, MEA Lead Analyst, and Guo (Hugo) Yu, Lead ASPAC Analyst. Together they unpack the last week’s events, why the end of fighting will yield little progress beyond the short term and the political impact of the conflict in Israel.  

The ransomware attack on US energy firm Colonial Pipeline last week caused significant disruptions to fuel delivery on the East Coast, as the firm suspended most of its operations in a bid to stem the spread of malware. With Colonial pipeline transporting nearly half of US East Coast's fuel supply, this incident highlights the growing threat that cyber attacks pose to critical infrastructure. Our latest analysis examines how this activity compares with the perpetrators' (the DarkSide operators) previous activity and what Colonial Pipeline and Washington's response towards this incident could mean for America's energy security.

This analysis was made prior to the 12 May announcement that Colonial Pipeline was restarting some of its services. Nevertheless, the analysis in the podcast will still remain relevant until the pipeline is fully functional later this week.

In this week’s podcast Alexander Parsons, Lead Americas Analyst, is joined by Eloise Scott, Middle East and North Africa Analyst, and Philip Riding, MEA Lead Analyst, to discuss the ongoing financial and socio-economic crises in Lebanon. Warnings from officials of severe difficulties in funding imports and subsidies looks to exacerbate the situation, potentially triggering domestic unrest. The most significant obstacle to the country's recovery appears to be political deadlock and deepening sectarian strife, as blocs appear to be preparing for the worst.

In this week's episode, EMEA Director Jonathan Dunbar discusses the launch of Sibylline's latest report, the Global Extremism Quarterly, with Sub-Saharan Africa Analyst Ben Manzin and James Barth, our North America Analyst. They discuss the contents of the report and the impetus for creating it, detailing the unprecedented pace of change in the threat landscape of extremism. They also dive into one of the themes discussed in this quarter's report and assess the latest developments in the Sahel, where extremist groups continue to increase their footprint throughout the wider region. Continued development of their position in Burkina Faso and Mali threatens to create a platform from which they can increase incursions into West African states. However, their focus has thus far remained on securing rural areas rather than targeting cities where businesses are primarily located.