Ungoverned Spaces

What do you call places where rules don’t apply, but consequences still reach the rest of the world? Ungoverned Spaces aren’t just physical, they’re digital, legal, and geopolitical black holes driving chaos on a global scale.

A World Without Boundaries

In Top Risks 2025, Ungoverned Spaces highlight the growing risks in regions and domains where authority is absent or ineffective. From the lawless zones of war-torn regions to the unregulated corners of cyberspace, these spaces are breeding grounds for conflict, exploitation, and systemic failure.

This isn’t a new phenomenon—history is littered with examples of power vacuums—but the scale and diversity of today’s ungoverned spaces are unprecedented. Physical territories like parts of Africa, the Middle East, and the US, virtual realms like the dark web, and even legal gaps in areas like space exploration and biotechnology represent profound risks.

For businesses, governments, and communities, the challenge is clear: ungoverned spaces don’t stay contained. Their consequences ripple outward, disrupting stability, supply chains, and security.

The Dimensions of Ungoverned Spaces

Ungoverned spaces manifest in three primary forms:

1. Physical Territories:
   Areas where state control has collapsed—such as Somalia, Afghanistan, and parts of the Sahel—serve as havens for organized crime, terrorism, and human trafficking. We’re watching this happen in the US now.
2. Digital Domains:
   The dark web, cryptocurrency markets, and unregulated social media platforms enable cybercrime, disinformation, and exploitation, often beyond the reach of law enforcement.
3. Legal and Regulatory Gaps:
   Emerging industries like biotechnology, AI, and private space exploration operate in grey zones where regulation hasn’t caught up, creating risks of misuse, accidents, and exploitation.

These spaces are interconnected. A terrorist group operating in a physical ungoverned space might fund its activities through cryptocurrency, while exploiting regulatory gaps in global finance.

The Global Consequences of Ungoverned Spaces

The ripple effects of ungoverned spaces are vast and far-reaching:

1. Geopolitical Instability:
   Lawless regions fuel regional conflicts and force nations to divert resources to managing instability. Refugee crises and proxy wars often originate from these spaces.
2. Cybersecurity Threats:
   The digital world’s ungoverned corners enable ransomware attacks, intellectual property theft, and the dissemination of disinformation campaigns that destabilize governments and businesses alike.
3. Economic Disruption:
   Supply chains that intersect with physical ungoverned spaces—such as mining operations in conflict zones—become unreliable and tainted by association with illegal activities like forced labor.
4. Technological Misuse:
   In areas like AI, biotechnology, and private space exploration, regulatory gaps allow for misuse that could have catastrophic consequences, from bioterrorism to militarized AI.

Why Ungoverned Spaces Are Expanding

Several factors contribute to the growth of ungoverned spaces:

• Weak Governance: Nations unable to maintain control over their territories become breeding grounds for lawlessness.
• Technological Anonymity: Cryptocurrencies, encrypted communications, and decentralized platforms make enforcement nearly impossible.
• Globalization Without Oversight: Cross-border industries like e-commerce, biotech, and logistics exploit regulatory gaps, creating new ungoverned domains.

For businesses and governments, ignoring these spaces is no longer an option. They must adapt to a world where ungoverned spaces are part of the operating environment.

Navigating Ungoverned Spaces

1. Invest in Risk Assessment:
   Map out how ungoverned spaces intersect with your supply chains, digital infrastructure, or operational footprint. Early identification can prevent crises.
2. Strengthen Cybersecurity:
   Combat digital threats by building robust defences against ransomware, phishing, and intellectual property theft. Regular audits are critical.
3. Diversify Supply Chains:
   Reduce reliance on regions or industries prone to disruption from ungoverned spaces. Build redundancies to ensure resilience.
4. Advocate for Global Standards:
   Push for multilateral agreements to close regulatory gaps in industries like biotech and AI. Collective action is essential for mitigating risks.
5. Engage in Public-Private Partnerships:
   Collaborate with governments and NGOs to address challenges in physical ungoverned spaces, from humanitarian aid to infrastructure development.

Governing the Ungovernable

Ungoverned spaces are the inevitable byproduct of rapid globalization and technological advancement. While we may never eliminate them entirely, we can mitigate their impact by investing in resilience, regulation, and collaboration.

How are you preparing for the risks posed by ungoverned spaces? Let’s explore strategies to secure your operations and thrive in a world without boundaries.

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is what I’m working on. Tell me what you think, I enjoy the conversation! Subscribe and follow the work in real time.

Thanks!

B

Ungoverned spaces—physical, digital, and legal—are growing. They breed instability, cybercrime, and supply chain risks. Map vulnerabilities, fortify cybersecurity, and push for global standards. Chaos spreads fast. Be ready.

PS -