THE TORCHSTONE WATCH
THE TORCHSTONE WATCH
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TorchStone publishes The Watch to assist our readers in proactively managing risk—whether personal, professional, or organizational—in an increasingly insecure world. The featured articles, blog posts, and expert interviews address vulnerabilities and issues we have frequently encountered while safeguarding high profile individuals, wealthy families, multinational corporations, and international sporting events across six continents. Now, more than ever, security seems to be a precious commodity. Our goal is to give you more of it through The TorchStone Watch.
SPOTLIGHT ISSUE
Economics of Crime
By TorchStone VP, Scott Stewart
While political will and law enforcement initiatives can have some influence on crime trends, they are simply not as powerful a force as the economic factors that serve as the true drivers of criminality. When it comes to regulating the illicit flows of goods and people, to quote political consultant and commentator James Carville, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
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2025 Presidential Inauguration Threats
There is an organized effort to protest President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration at demonstrations across the country in the days leading up to January 20, 2025. The unrest that accompanied President Trump’s first inauguration in January 2017 serves as a precedent for what to expect.
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December 2024 TorchStone Global Monthly Executive Protection Report
The TorchStone Executive Protection Report tracked 27 domestic and 19 international security incidents or updates to prior incidents impacting high-profile individuals during the month of December 2024. TorchStone Global believes that broader situational awareness and intelligence are key to providing quality executive protection—whether the principal is a Fortune 500 CEO, international movie star, or local city council member.
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New Orleans January 1 Attack Highlights Importance of Security Measures
At approximately 0315 on January 1, an individual intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people gathered on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for New Year’s celebrations. As TorchStone has previously discussed, vehicular assaults are notoriously simple to carry out and can be very deadly. This was the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since the October 2023 shooting in Lewiston, Maine that killed 18 people and it appears to be the deadliest vehicular assault on U.S. soil ever.
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2024 Review: The Watch
We’re proud of our work from 2024 and honored that so many readers have looked to us for guidance on keeping themselves, their families, and their employees safe. We will continue to share our expertise with our readers through The Watch and look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Please find a list of the ten most read articles on The Watch from 2024.
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The Extinction Rebellion — What It Is and How It Impacts Industries Far Beyond Energy
Scott Stewart shares his expertise on the Extinction Rebellion with Ontic’s Protective Intelligence Podcast host Fred Burton, and how his firm provides advice to corporations on how to best protect themselves and their employees in this environment. While not all activity poses a threat, it’s important for companies to be hyper-aware of activity and the measures activists can take.
READ MORE >BBC Sounds: Burn Wild Podcast – The Line
There is a school of thought in activism—all movements need a radical flank to succeed. In the podcast, Burn Wild Episode 6: The Line, TorchStone VP Scott Stewart discusses the grievance narrative of Extinction Rebellion (XR).
READ MORE >How to Get on a Watchlist Episode 5: How to Kidnap an Executive
“How to get on a Watchlist” is a new podcast from the team at Encyclopedia Geopolitica. In this installment, How to Get on a Watchlist Episode 5: How to Kidnap an Executive, TorchStone VP Scott Stewart discusses executive kidnappings.
READ MORE >With drug cartel violence, is it safe to travel to Mexico? Security experts weigh in
US tourism is ramping up again in Mexico, but so are the headlines regarding drug cartel violence. TorchStone Vice President of Intelligence Scott Stewart joins the discussion about how safe it is to travel to Mexico.
READ MORE >Perspectives on the Shinzo Abe Assassination
Perspectives on the Shinzo Abe Assassination whitepaper from AT-RISK International, Emergent Risk International, Ontic and Torchstone Global analyzes the July 2022 assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and addresses the broad range of global security implications for individuals and businesses.
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