Terrorism Now Key Business Risk

Terrorism is now a key business risk for multinational corporations, with the United States ranking fourth on a list of countries most likely to be targeted by terrorists, the World Markets Research Center says. Colombia, the home of a long-running battle between drug barons and the government, ranks as the most likely target for an attack over the next year, according to the London-based WMRC. It is followed by Israel, Pakistan, the United States and the Philippines as the countries most at risk. The center said it created its global terrorism index in response to requests from its business clients. In assessing the risk of 186 countries, it found the isolationist state of North Korea the least likely to suffer a terror attack. Guy Dunn, author of the index, told CNN’s Q&A program that the ranking for the United States was “realistic”. He said that since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, terrorism had moved up sharply in the factors affecting the decisions of multinational businesses. The index assesses the risk of terrorism to the countries and their interests abroad. Full Story