GlobalPULSE: 17 MAR 2025

Report Summary

This weekly report provides a comprehensive analysis of critical events, emerging threats, and significant developments across our global watchlist countries. Our Geopolitical & Security Analysis Teams continuously monitor and assess incidents affecting regional stability, security, and business operations.

Key Global Concerns:

• Severe weather events in Argentina and Bolivia continue to displace thousands, with catastrophic flooding in Bahía Blanca leaving at least 16 dead and highlighting climate-related vulnerabilities.
• Organized crime remains entrenched in Brazil, El Salvador, and Venezuela, with high-profile drug busts and security operations exposing deep-rooted criminal networks.
• Haiti’s security crisis worsens, with gang coalitions controlling 85% of Port-au-Prince, triggering forced evacuations and warnings of state collapse.
• Armenia and Azerbaijan move toward peace, announcing that their decades-long conflict is nearing a formal agreement.
• Serbia faces escalating protests, with opposition calling for a “fight for democracy” on March 16 amid growing tensions.
• Ukraine and Russia explore ceasefire negotiations, but Putin’s new demands suggest prolonged uncertainty in the conflict.
• The Israel-Gaza war remains volatile, with ongoing ceasefire discussions and worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
• Houthi rebels resume maritime threats, stating that Israeli vessels in regional waters will again be targeted.
• Somalia faces dual crises, as Al-Shabaab attacks persist while the country also deals with a major humanitarian crisis.
• Zimbabwe’s economic woes deepen, with public debt soaring to $21 billion, raising concerns over financial stability.
• North Korea fires ballistic missiles in protest of U.S.-South Korea military drills, heightening tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
• Pakistan experiences new militant attacks, with Baloch separatists bombing a railway track targeting a passenger train.

The Americas remain beset by climate disasters, organized crime, and political uncertainty, with severe flooding, surging cartel activity, and governance challenges amplifying instability. Haiti’s gang crisis continues to worsen, prompting fears of total state collapse. In Europe & Eurasia, a potential Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal stands in contrast to Serbia’s escalating protests and Ukraine’s uncertain ceasefire negotiations. MENA remains a flashpoint, with Israel-Gaza ceasefire discussions, worsening humanitarian conditions, and Houthi threats to maritime security. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a mix of economic shifts, security crises, and natural disasters, with Zimbabwe’s debt crisis, Somalia’s Al-Shabaab attacks, and Mozambique’s cyclone aftermath dominating regional concerns. In Asia-Pacific, North Korea escalates tensions with missile launches, while trade and security realignments shape regional geopolitics.