Introducing the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) Armed Conflict Database, the Director Transnational Threats and Political Risk, Nigel Inkster, and the Senior Fellow for Conflict, Christopher Langton, will brief a meeting on the “Changing Nature of Conflict in the 21st Century” in the Old Library of the Lloyd’s building on the 9th April. Lloyd’s 360 risk project has previously commissioned the IISS to write two reports on terrorism – “Home-grown terrorism: What does it mean for business”, and “Terrorism in Asia: What does it mean for business.”
The briefing will cover the changing threat environment, focusing on the growing challenge posed by non-state groups who feed off globalisation in all its forms. The facilitators of global non-state activity, mass transportation and communications, will be discussed as well as forms of trafficking, including the increase in the illicit trade in counterfeit drugs. Climate change and urbanisation as possible causes of conflict will be part of the presentation.
The briefing will be based on, among other sources, IISS publications including the Armed Conflict Database (ACD) , the Chart of Conflict and ongoing research on some 400 non-state actors.
While the Chart of Conflict gives a broad annual overview of conflicts and trends throughout the world, the ACD offers up-to-date information in an interactive and user-friendly manner on over 70 armed conflicts. The ACD covers international and internal armed conflicts, as well as terrorist activity. It provides year-on-year analysis of conflicts, their political status, number of fatalities and weapons used, as well as current events, conflict backgrounds and timelines updated on a weekly basis.
A political review analyses the latest noteworthy political trends and developments within the conflict. The military and security review offers the latest military and security developments, information on parties involved in the conflict, including non-state armed groups, as well as procurements, arms acquisitions, major offensives, changes in tactics and other security concerns.
The human security review reports on the human cost of conflict, including the total number of fatalities in the conflict, the number of fatalities in a specific year, and information about refugees. It also provides information on humanitarian indicators of conflict. Finally, a historical background provides a researched historical explanation if the causes of conflict, placing recent developments into perspective. Each conflict offers up-to-date timelines and links to other IISS publications, external sources and useful official documents, peace accords and agreements, as well as relevant Security Council resolutions.
For more information about the event, please contact anna.bussell@lloyds.com
For information about the ACD, please contact acd@iiss.org
