Introduction to the Second Edition

In the intervening years since my first book was published on the topic of personal security and risk, the international environment was and continues to be upended by events that have a direct impact on the traveling public. The global COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak of war throughout the Middle East, most recently between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran. The Russian invasion of Ukraine. The civil war in Sudan. In Mexico, the further fragmentation of criminal cartels throughout the country brings violence and insecurity in their wake for the local population and tourists alike. In countries considered relatively safe from violence and crime, such as those within Europe or the US, the ripple of distant conflicts has washed ashore on college campuses or the streets of major metropolitan cities. Sadly, this violence exported from the battlefields of Gaza, Syria, or Yemen has found innocent targets walking to class, celebrating a music festival, or shopping in festive Christmas markets.