Corporate checklist to operate in a conflict context

Why political risk management matters

Conventional risk assessment is not enough under such conditions. Instead, companies need political risk management: a structured way to evaluate whether engagement under conflict conditions is viable, what measures are necessary, and which red lines should guide their decisions.

That includes:

• understanding the local conflict dynamics;
• mapping key stakeholders;
• assessing sanctions and compliance risks; and
• considering how the conflict may affect employees, partners, supply chains, and the company’s reputation.

What the checklist provides

This practical tool is designed as an orientation aid for Swiss companies. It highlights key questions to address in a conflict-affected market and points to approaches companies have used in comparable situations.

The checklist draws on primary research by David Sieber-Mengel (University of Zurich) in the context of Ukraine and incorporates findings from other conflict settings to make the insights more broadly relevant.

A tool, not a blueprint

This checklist is a tool, not a blueprint. It identifies important issues and presents insights from previous cases, but it does not indicate how significant each issue is in a given conflict. Nor will the same approach work for every firm.

Every conflict has its own logic, and no checklist can replace case-specific analysis. Completing the checklist is not, in itself, sufficient for continuing operations in a conflict-affected market.

What it can do is help companies:

• identify critical gaps at an early stage;
• prepare for scenarios more systematically; and
• make better-informed decisions about whether, when, and how to operate in a conflict context.