all inclusive includes 24h 24h

EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference 2014 Special Session 9
Chair: Elena Sokova, Executive Director, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Paul Wilke, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael - Netherlands Institute of International Relations
Irma Argüello, Chair, NPSGlobal, Argentina
Benjamin Hautecouverture, Senior Research Fellow, FRS

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has signed into law his most ambitious reform package, ending more than 70 years of state monopoly over the oil and gas sector. Foreign investment in energy is crucial to boost economic development in one of the world's ten largest oil producers. But how safe is the energy infrastructure in Mexico?

Despite a significant decline in homicides related to the fight against well-armed illegal groups, criminal activity surrounding the energy sector has been on the rise. The criminal underworld in Mexico has diversified into extortion, oil theft and smuggling. The state oil company, PEMEX, has said that criminal groups stole over US$1 billion in hydrocarbon resources during 2012 and 2013.

Exploring such a strategic sector will involve simultaneous security and economic challenges for Mexico. This discussion panel explores the evolution of the criminal underworld there and the prospects for the coming energy revolution.

Global Strategic Review 2014 Fifth Plenary Session
Ine Eriksen Søreide, Minister of Defence, Norway
Michael Rich, President and Chief Executive Officer, RAND; Member of the Council, IISS
Professor Sir Hew Strachan, Chichele Professor of the History of War, All Souls College, University of Oxford; Member of the Council, IISS

The resurgence of major-power geopolitics was the striking feature of international affairs in the year to mid-2014. Russia and Europe competed for influence in Ukraine, where a revolution in support of closer integration with Europe was followed by Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern regions. Tensions rose between China and Japan as the leaders of both countries stepped up assertive nationalism. However, progress was made in nuclear negotiations between Iran and the world’s big powers. The year’s developments heralded a period of heightened strategic change that would sharpen the challenges facing the United States in maintaining global influence. Strategic Survey 2014: The Annual Review of World Affairs argues that changing patterns in international relations make it vital for the world’s businesses to carry out ‘geopolitical due diligence’.