| Under development,
suggestions are welcome The threats to top executives and government
officials are not limited to their movements in foreign countries where
security problems are self-evident. In fact, some places which might
generally be perceived as dangerous may actually pose few real threats,
while the greater risks may be from not remaining vigilant to the risks in
less overtly hostile environments.
For those who may have forgotten, for example, the US Embassy bombings in
Africa came roughly 20 years after experts at the State Department already
recognized such threats and were given considerable funds by Congress for
programs which were supposed to improve security at such facilities.
After all, the risk became pretty obvious after attacks in Tehran,
Islamabad, and Tripoli, as well as the bombings in Beirut.
Unfortunately, the events of 9/11 have now also made it quite obvious to the
most casual observer that the threat is not limited to other countries.
It never was, but now it is recognized.
For those who doubt this, try to look up a copy of "The Ultimate Weapon :
Terrorists and World Order", written by Jan Schreiber of Harvard's Center
for Criminal Justice, published by William Morrow & Co. in 1978 - before any
of the events mentioned above. This is not a new problem, nor will it
end soon. As he astutely observed, terrorism works, and it therefore
"flourishes". One doesn't have to agree with all of his analysis or
conclusions to recognize that, twenty five years after he finished his
research, the problem is much worse.
The threat to people within this specific community (top executives,
service professionals, and area representatives - not just top government
officials) is real. One doesn't have to compile a list of victims,
like the names on the memorial plaques at the State Department and CIA, or
events such as 9/11, to see that this isn't somebody else's problem now.
It is everyone's problem, including people in this niche who may never
have thought about the risks before. Consider the sometimes violent
protests against anything which is regarded as contributing to
"globalization", or which is perceived as helping an unpopular government,
or is perceived as harming the environment, or conflicts with the views of
some individuals about what constitutes appropriate or "sustainable"
development. That is not only for obvious global issues, but also
includes local opposition such as the "not in my backyard" reactions to some
types of investments, which can provoke those who feel that their views are
not respected. There will always be differences of opinion about
anything which creates significant changes to the status quo, and major
direct investment projects are certainly no exception.
As a former US diplomat (1980-85), the founder of GDI Solutions has
perhaps been more sensitive to this issue than others in this community, but
everybody needs to think carefully about the risks posed by their actions,
and adopt "best practices" to both "harden the target" and ensure that
global direct investment activity is generally recognized as a positive
contribution to any local society, rather than a threat, when major projects
are developed responsibly and with sensitivity to their impact on a
community.
Even when one diligently attempts to "do the right thing", some people
will object or have a very different perception of what is "right". Be
sensitive to the risks that arise in this niche. For those who have
forgotten, governments have been overthrown by their own citizens for
centuries because of different views and the use of political or violent
means to redefine what is acceptable for the "development" of the area,
regardless of the good intentions or actions of the leaders involved at the
time. Change is not always welcome, and major investment projects can
be a lightning rod for criticism.
If you doubt this, look no further than Alabama, and the Mercedes project
a few years ago. The governor who won it may seem to have made a major
contribution to the state in hindsight, but that didn't help him very much
in the next election. Did he do the right thing? Who can say?
In some countries, however, the risk of opposition is far greater than
losing the next election, and "foreign executives" can easily be portrayed
as insensitive "foreign devils" who are exploiting the people and resources,
or as supporting unpopular governments and their policies, regardless of
ethical business practices.
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Adopt and share best
practices
We do not propose to instruct executives or other contacts on what to do,
but each participant in this service should always keep in mind the
potential risks and consequences of their own conduct for others.
For example, top executives may be very cautious not to publicize their
movements in advance, beyond obvious locations such as their place of
business or public events at which they are known to participate or speak,
and where adequate security measures will generally be planned. They
may be alert to their surroundings as they travel, and vary the timing and
routes to places at which they will be expected, and take other routine
precautions.
Such precautions, however, can be negated if service providers or area
representatives are less cautious in their handling of knowledge about the
movements of such executives, or the top government officials with whom they
may be arranging visits to discuss investment major projects. For
example, local officials may frequently arrange introductory meetings and
organize complete visit programs, with travel plans and details of the
itinerary, as a very helpful service to top executives who are interested in
their areas.
Few area representatives have probably ever thought seriously about the
potential threat which such actions create for the executives and officials
who they are supporting. Careless handling of such sensitive knowledge
about future movements can needlessly expose such leaders to serious risks.
Please think about the sensitivity of the information which you use in
daily work. Recognize that e-mail is not necessarily secure from
hackers, and can also be picked up by computer viruses such as Trojans and
copied to others. Don't discard documents which provide future
itinerary details. Shred them. Be careful about who is on
distribution for such information, and how the visits to an area by top
executives and officials are handled.
Don't think that routine precautions to respect the security needs of top
executives or officials will be perceived as paranoia or a negative
reflection on the area. On the contrary, the threat is global, not
local. Be sensitive to security needs. If there are real, known
threats in your area (executive kidnappings, crime, violence, etc.), be
honest about it and address them professionally.
The risks may be exaggerated by media accounts, since attacks against top
executives or prominent companies are as much "news" as attacks against
government officials and offices. Indeed, from the perspective of a
terrorist, the potential perception among many top executives that "I have
been there recently ... That could have been me ..." can make business
executives a very attractive target, even if totally unrelated to any
specific cause which may motivate terrorists or kidnappers. Don't deny
serious risks. Address them.
Sources of information
If it proves to be of interest, we may provide a list of helpful, timely
sources of information about personal security risks and health precautions
in locations around the world, such as those offered by the US Dept of
State's Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Center for Disease Control, as
well as specific services related to executive security (such as sources of
counter-terrorism training or private security protection services for top
executives) to make it easy to share solutions which participants regard as
valuable in practice and of potential interest to their peers.
Example :
The Lee Group (
www.safeglobalsolutions.com ) provides security consulting for
international safety. Edward Lee is a former diplomatic security
service agent. We are not personally familiar with his services, but
they may be worth checking. Vance International
Security Services - executive protection training and security services,
with backgrounds including Special Forces and Secret Service experience :
www.vancesecurity.com
Citigate Global Intelligence :
www.citigategis.com
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