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Showing posts from December, 2025

THE WISDOM DROUGHT THE HIDDEN IRONY OF MODERN CORPORATE INTELLIGENCE

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  About the Author Jasmine Opperman is a world-renowned intelligence professional specialising in extremism and intelligence within the mining sector. She served for over 20 years in the South African intelligence services, rising to the position of Provincial Head of the Eastern Cape for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). She is currently an advisor and senior intelligence analyst for both Fulcrum Analytics and the Fulcrum Intel Digest service.  We tend to think of intelligence failures as the domain of spies and secret agencies. But when a Fortune 500 company spends millions on market research and still fails to see a disruptive competitor coming, it is suffering from the exact same pathology: a wisdom drought. Executive Summary In an era defined by exponential data generation and complex transnational threats, such as Southern Africa's cross-border illicit mining syndicates, corporate survival demands a continuous, technology-augmented intelligence ecosystem. This pape...

Predictive Terrorism Outlook for 2026: African Actors to Watch

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GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and terrorism that may be upsetting to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.  Bottom Line Up Front 2025 has shown us that Africa remains one of the most important theatres of operation for terrorist actors. There have been numerous developments this year and it is likely that 2026 will be more volatile than 2025 in the face of continued tensions (including with foreign partners and regional players), terrorist attacks, and attacks by armed political groups. Factors like climate change, political tensions, poverty, and foreign interference could also exacerbate the situation.  Islamic State Islamic State (IS) continues operations and attacks across numerous African theatres. The following infographic was released by the group, showing the most prominent assaults during the Islamic months of Rabi al-Awal and Rabi al-Akhar. Out of the seven attacks listed, only two are outside Africa. This highl...