We discuss the behavioural and psychological pathways that often precede acts of violence, including changes in behaviour, emotional crisis, isolation, and escalating personal stress. The episode also explores why many organisations remain underprepared for physical threats despite investing heavily in cyber resilience and crisis management, and why proactive training, situational awareness, and psychological preparedness are becoming increasingly important components of organisational resilience.

Michael explains the logic behind his A.L.I.V.E. framework for active shooter survival training, which focuses on assessment, decision-making under stress, and practical responses during violent incidents. The discussion also considers how emerging pressures, including social polarisation and AI-driven economic disruption, could intensify future workplace tensions and security risks, and why organisations can no longer afford to treat violence preparedness as optional.

Michael Julian is a security professional, workplace violence prevention specialist, and creator of the A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training programme. He has spent decades training organisations, schools, and institutions on crisis response, situational awareness, and active threat preparedness, with a focus on the psychological realities of survival during violent incidents.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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The episode further explores the intersection of environmental governance, state capacity, and international economic incentives. We discuss how weak institutions, limited enforcement capacity, and poor land-use planning contribute to illegal mining, mercury contamination, and long-term ecological degradation in rainforest regions. The conversation also examines the role of international demand for commodities such as gold, timber, and agricultural products, alongside broader debates within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change around carbon markets, sequestration, and compensation for maintaining standing forests. A central theme throughout the episode is the argument that the perceived trade-off between economic growth and environmental preservation is often false, particularly when sustainable industries, indigenous stewardship, regenerative sourcing, and nature-based economic models are properly supported. The discussion also highlights the role of indigenous and tribal communities in protecting the Amazon rainforest, the pressures these communities face, and the geopolitical and economic dynamics shaping the future of one of the world’s most critical ecological systems.

John Goedschalk is a climate economist, sustainability advocate, and former climate negotiator for Suriname. He previously served as Executive Director of Conservation International Suriname and currently advises on climate and biodiversity finance. His work focuses on sustainable economic development, rainforest conservation, carbon finance, and creating commercial models that support standing forests and indigenous communities while reducing pressure from extractive industries.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk,

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We discuss how Japan’s expansion into China and the attack on Pearl Harbor reflected not strategic confidence but strategic desperation, and why understanding the internal logic, culture, and decision-making structures of rival powers remains essential to avoiding catastrophic miscalculation today. The episode traces the historical links between conflicts in Europe and Asia during the 1930s, exploring how aggression in Manchuria weakened international norms and helped create the conditions for wider global war.

The conversation also examines the contemporary erosion of trust in democratic and international institutions, the rise of political polarisation within liberal societies, and the growing risks posed by declining confidence in alliances such as NATO. We consider how domestic politics increasingly shape foreign policy, why economic interdependence does not necessarily prevent conflict, and how instability in regions such as the Middle East could accelerate wider confrontation in East Asia.

Jake is a History Youtuber who focuses on the intersection between the past and present - most recently shooting a documentary in Japan about the causes and consequences of ww2.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We discuss how Orbán methodically constructed an illiberal state by capturing institutions, centralising media, and leveraging constitutional power whilst maintaining democratic appearances, and why the process of unwinding this system presents both extraordinary opportunities and significant dangers for Hungary's new government. The episode also considers how Hungary's experience challenges prevailing assumptions about the inevitability of illiberal forces in Europe, what the transition means for Hungary's relationship with Russia and the European Union, and why the new government's ability to exercise restraint despite holding a constitutional majority will shape democratic governance far beyond Hungary's borders.

Zsuzsanna Szelényi is a foreign policy specialist, former member of the Hungarian Parliament, and Programme Director at the CEU Democracy Institute. She was an early member of Fidesz party in the 1990s and later returned to Hungarian politics from 2012 to 2018 as part of the opposition. She is the author of Tainted Democracy, which examines Hungary's transformation over three decades and the erosion of democratic norms under Orbán's rule.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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The episode also examines the broader environmental dimensions of warfare, distinguishing between direct damage, such as bombed landscapes, spills, fires, and soil contamination, and indirect impacts, including weakened environmental governance, deforestation, disrupted resource systems, and growing pressures on water and energy infrastructure. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine, where researchers have begun mapping the emissions footprint of conflict, the discussion highlights how the carbon cost of war is only one part of a much wider environmental picture. A central theme throughout the episode is the gap between the immediate visibility of conflict, through destruction and casualties, and the slower, less visible environmental consequences that unfold over years or decades. We also explore the challenges of accountability, the lack of transparency around military emissions, and how geopolitical instability can undermine global environmental cooperation and climate governance.

Doug Weir is a leading expert on the environmental dimensions of armed conflict and works with the Conflict and Environment Observatory, where he focuses on monitoring and addressing conflict-related environmental harm. His work examines issues including conflict pollution, military emissions, and the long-term environmental impacts of warfare, contributing to international efforts to improve data, accountability, and policy responses in this area.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into com

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We discuss why Iran’s threat model is increasingly hybrid, asymmetric, and difficult to categorise. From the Houthis’ role in the Red Sea and Hezbollah’s weakened but still significant position in Lebanon, to alleged Iranian-backed plots in the UK, the use of organised criminals, the evolving relationship between Iran and al-Qaeda, and the wider breakdown of international counterterrorism cooperation after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this conversation offers a timely guide to how state-backed coercion, terrorism, proxy warfare, and organised crime now overlap.

Edmund Fitton-Brown is a former British diplomat and counterterrorism specialist. He joined the UK Foreign Service in 1984 and served in several Middle Eastern and European postings, including as British Ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017. He later joined the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Monitoring Team, becoming Coordinator in 2018 and leading work on sanctions and global threat assessment relating to ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Taliban until 2022. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, a RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, and co-host of the CounterPod podcast. His work focuses on Iran, terrorism, proxy warfare, Middle East security and the state-backed threats that blur the boundaries between intelligence activity, organised crime and political violence. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Peter R. Solomon, PhD is a Physicist, Entrepreneur, Educator, and Author with over 60 years of experience in scientific research, technology development, and science education. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Advanced Fuel Research, a technology development firm in East Hartford, Connecticut, and CEO of TheBeamer, an educational media company.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Subscribe for all our updates! 

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The episode also considers the broader environmental implications of targeting energy infrastructure, including oil depots, refineries, and desalination plants, and how these attacks create complex spillovers such as air pollution, water contamination, and long-term ecological damage. A central theme is the disconnect between immediate, visible impacts of war, such as casualties and physical destruction, and the slower, less visible climate consequences that accumulate over time. We also explore how conflict reshapes global energy systems, drives supply chain disruption, and accelerates both fossil fuel dependence and, in some cases, the transition toward alternative energy sources. 

Benjamin Neimark is a Reader at the School of Business and Management whose research focuses on the political ecology of global supply chains, resource extraction, and the environmental impacts of militarisation and conflict. Frederick Otu-Larbi is a researcher at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana, specialising in the quantification of emissions linked to warfare and reconstruction.  

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Today, the operating environment for business is clear. The Iran conflict is pushing up oil and gas prices. The Strait of Hormuz is back at the centre of global trade risk. Eurozone inflation is reacting to energy costs. Questions are being raised about NATO cohesion and US alliance commitments. And the shockwaves are spreading well beyond energy into shipping, semiconductors, sovereign debt, industrial inputs, and broader business confidence.

Our guest today is Jon-Paul Gabriele. He is the founder of Crisis City and brings more than 15 years of crisis management experience. Today, we are discussing the gap between having a crisis management plan and actually leading under pressure.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. 

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Professor Jamie Shea is a Professor at the College of Europe, Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe, and Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre. He previously served in senior roles at NATO, including Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges and Director of Policy Planning. With over four decades of experience in transatlantic security, his work focuses on strategic risk, defence policy, and the evolving nature of global conflict.

This episode was recorded April 20 2026

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We discuss why terrorism today is more fragmented, more hybrid, and harder to categorise than many older counterterrorism models suggest. From ISIS’s evolution into a franchise-like movement and Hezbollah’s diversified funding streams to AI-enabled propaganda, drones, virtual currencies, Russian hybrid warfare, Wagner, and the possibility of terrorism triggering wider interstate conflict, this conversation offers a timely guide to how political violence is mutating – and why policymakers must avoid treating terrorism, organised crime, and great power competition as separate problems.

Dr Colin P. Clarke is the Executive Director of The Soufan Center and one of the leading analysts working at the intersection of terrorism, insurgency, organised crime, and geopolitics. He is the author of several books, including Terrorism, Inc. and After the Caliphate, and writes widely on terrorist financing, the crime-terror nexus, ISIS, Hezbollah, proxy warfare, and emerging security threats. His work has appeared in outlets including Foreign Policy and War on the Rocks, and he regularly contributes to public debate on terrorism, political violence, and international security.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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The episode also considers the broader ecosystem that sustains ransomware, including the blurred lines between criminal and state-linked actors, and the expanding role of insurers, negotiators, and cybersecurity specialists in managing incidents. A central theme is the tension between individual and collective responses: while paying ransoms may minimise immediate damage for victims, it reinforces the long-term viability of the model. 

Professor Anja Shortland is Professor of Political Economy at King’s College London. Her research focuses on how criminal markets function in environments where formal governance is weak or absent, including piracy, kidnapping, art theft, and ransomware. She is the author of We Know You Can Pay a Million: Inside the Dark Economy of Hacking and Ransomware (published in North America as Dark Screens: Hackers and Heroes in the Shadowy World of Ransomware), where she examines the economic structures, incentives, and actors shaping the global cybercrime ecosystem. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Dr Florian Krampe is Director of Studies for Peace and Development at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), where he also leads the Climate Change and Risk Programme. His work focuses on the intersection of climate change, peace, and security, examining how environmental factors influence conflict dynamics, military operations, and global stability. He has contributed extensively to research on climate-related security risks, including the impacts of environmental change on infrastructure, governance, and strategic decision-making.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We discuss why awareness alone does not change behaviour, why phishing simulations and annual training often fail, and why security needs to be taught as a decision-making discipline grounded in empathy and personal relevance. From the “human blind spot” and the “shame barrier” to password habits, two-factor authentication, business email compromise, and the idea of employees as a strategic human firewall, this conversation offers a practical guide to the human side of cyber risk.

We also explore how artificial intelligence is accelerating old threats and enabling new ones. From voice cloning and deepfakes to highly personalised scams, pig butchering, and the exploitation of loneliness and emotional vulnerability, Robert explains how criminals are learning to bypass not only technical systems, but human psychology itself.

Robert Siciliano is a security expert, private investigator, and public speaker. He is the CEO of Safr.Me and Head Trainer at Protect Now. His work focuses on fraud prevention, identity protection, personal security, and the human side of cyber risk. For more than three decades, he has helped organisations and individuals understand how deception works and how to become tougher targets in an increasingly complex threat environment.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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The episode considers the wider implications of violence for economic development and governance. With crime and violence estimated to cost countries in Latin America between 3–4% of GDP annually, the discussion highlights how reducing violence can generate significant economic gains, improve investment environments, and strengthen institutional trust. The role of governments, international organisations, and the private sector in supporting prevention-based approaches is explored in depth. 

Irvin Waller is Professor Emeritus of Criminology at the University of Ottawa and a globally recognised expert on violence prevention and victims’ rights. He is the author of Science and Secrets of Ending Violent Crime (2019), which outlines how countries can achieve significant reductions in violence through targeted and evidence-based strategies. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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We also consider how organisations continue to underestimate the scale of the threat, often reacting too late, and what this means for crisis preparedness at the executive level. The conversation looks at how CEOs and boards should treat information integrity as a core enterprise risk, as well as the potential for AI to counter disinformation and whether declining public trust can ultimately be restored.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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David Mora is the Mexico Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group, where he researches organised crime, violence, corruption, and conflict dynamics. His work combines fieldwork, investigative reporting, and policy analysis to understand how criminal groups operate across different regions of Mexico. He has reported for Vice News, NBC News, ProPublica, and The Atlantic, covering issues including cartel dynamics, migration, and governance.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We discuss how Kaliningrad moved from being a space of everyday exchange to one of growing isolation, and what that has meant for the people living on both sides of the border. From local trade and service economies to militarisation, amber smuggling, migration pressure via Belarus, and the hardening of borders across Finland and the Baltic region, this conversation offers a grounded look at how macro-level decisions shape ordinary lives. It also asks what borderlands can tell us about Europe’s changing security landscape, and why the clearest signs of geopolitical change often appear at the periphery first.

Dr Domaniewski is currently a Grant Writer at LUT University in Finland. His published work has examined the small border traffic zone between Poland and the Kaliningrad region, the role of border permeability in shaping local development, and, more recently, how residents of Kaliningrad have adapted to isolation and changing border conditions after Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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To help us make sense of this, we’re joined by Craig Unsworth, a portfolio Chief Product Officer and Non-Executive Director working at the intersection of private equity, AI, and product transformation. With over two decades of experience and more than 60 transactions across SaaS, data, and B2B services, Craig works closely with private equity firms and their portfolio companies to drive growth and deliver high-impact, product-led transformations.

For more of Craig’s work, check out his Substack: http://chieflyproduct.substack.com/

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. 

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To help us make sense of it, I’m joined by Paul Hefel-James, a Beirut-based freelance journalist who reports on migration, refugees, conflict, and the humanitarian crisis across the Middle East. His previous publications include explorations of labor migration in Lebanon, Syrian archives and reconstruction and the displacement crisis during the Israel-Hezbollah war. His work has appeared in DAWN's Democracy in Exile, New Internationalist and The Progressive. He is also the author of the Substack, Wayward Bound: https://waywardbound.substack.com/

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. 

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We discuss whether the core problem in Canadian defence policy is underinvestment, overreliance on the United States, or a deeper lack of strategic clarity. We also explore the tension between sovereignty and interdependence through NORAD, the challenge of reducing dependence on U.S. defence procurement without undermining interoperability, and the extent to which Ottawa’s growing focus on the Arctic reflects a genuine strategic shift rather than simply a response to political uncertainty in Washington.

Norman Leach is a Canadian military historian, writer, public speaker, and defence-industry leader whose work spans military history, strategic commentary, and international business. He holds a degree in Political Science and History from the University of Manitoba, has contributed to Canadian Defence Review and other military and historical journals, and has written widely on war, peacekeeping, leadership, and the evolution of Canada’s armed forces.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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So today we’re stepping back to look at the bigger picture: how the global risk landscape has changed, how today’s conflicts compare to those of previous decades, and what today’s crisis might tell us about where things are heading next. 

Our guest today is one of the most experienced foreign correspondents in British journalism.

Humphrey Hawksley is an award-winning author, commentator and BBC correspondent whose reporting career has taken him to conflicts and political turning points across the world for more than four decades.

He has reported on the Sri Lankan civil war, on the Yugoslav wars, the War on Terror, the rise of many Asian countries with postings in Hong Kong, the Philippines and India, and he was even tasked with opening the BBC’s first permanent television bureau in Beijing way back in 1994.

Alongside his journalism, Humphrey is the author of several books on global politics and democracy, as well as bestselling political thrillers. He’s also the host of the Democracy Forum debates. 

You can find his books here:

Rake Ozenna Series - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G4D7P7NX?tag=uklinktagbk-21&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true 

Future History - Third World War series - https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/future-history/

Asian Waters: The Struggly over the Indo-Pacific and the Challenge of American Power -  https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/book/asian-waters/ 

Democracy Kills: What's so Good about having the Vote? -                https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/book/democracy-kills-whats-so-good-about-having-the-vote/

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. 

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Ava Shen covers Taiwan and Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics at Eurasia Group. Previously, she interned at Rhodium Group, conducting economic research on China and Taiwan. She also worked as a research assistant at the Stimson Center, focusing on Chinese foreign policy in Asia and China-West Africa cooperation on maritime environmental issues.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. 

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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 We discuss the warning indicators he is watching most closely, why so many so-called “black swan” events are in fact failures of imagination, how red-teaming can help organisations think more clearly about escalation, and why leaders should focus less on surprise and more on preparedness. 

K. Campbell, CBCP, CPP® is a seasoned security and intelligence professional and former US military intelligence officer with extensive experience in security risk management, executive protection, threat assessment, and business continuity. His previous roles included leadership positions in National Security Agency units, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff, and a special operations staff, and he co-led and led highly sensitive intelligence and planning efforts against North Korea and Iran, including war planning against Iran’s WMD programmes. He has also led and co-led business continuity planning in four organisations, served on the technical committee that updated the ASIS International security risk assessment standard approved by ANSI in April 2024, and contributes to Homeland Security Today and the Domestic Preparedness Journal.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Subscribe for all our updates!

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Drawing on their joint research, Natalie Martin and Eliot Higgins discuss how open-source investigation techniques are reshaping how information can be verified, and how these methods are increasingly being adopted by journalists and news organisations. 

Natalie Martin is an Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, where her research focuses on disinformation, journalism, and security. 

Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat, an investigative organisation that has pioneered the use of open-source investigation techniques to uncover and verify information in conflict zones and complex information environments. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. 

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Misogyny is no longer confined to the fringes, it’s part of the mainstream. Find out more about who is harmed, how online rhetoric shapes real-world consequences, and the blurred line between incel ideology and everyday misogyny. We explore pressures around masculinity, the darker side of “self-improvement”, and whether empathy, support spaces, and counterspeech can offer a way forward.

Allysa Czerwinsky (she/her) is a Research Fellow in AI Trust and Security and PhD Candidate at the University of Manchester. Her research explores how male supremacism and misogynist extremism manifest in digital environments, accounting for the complex interplays between technology, harm, and violence. Her work traces the narratives present in stories shared to several incel-focused forums, uncovering how these stories help legitimise harm and provide additional knowledge about potential pathways into and out of inceldom. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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We discuss why “political warfare” may be a more useful term than “hybrid war" and how Russia blends state and criminal networks. From sabotage plots and outsourced coercion to red-teaming, resilience, insider threats, and the use of AI to identify vulnerabilities, this conversation offers a timely guide to how Russia applies pressure below the threshold of open war – and what Western states, institutions, and organisations need to do to prepare more intelligently.

Professor Mark Galeotti is one of the leading experts on modern Russia, with particular expertise in its security politics, intelligence services, organised crime, and political warfare. He is Director of Mayak Intelligence, an Honorary Professor at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague, and an Associate Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy. He is a prolific author of more than 30 books on Russia, writes regularly for The Times and The Spectator, is a frequent contributor to RUSI and Foreign Policy, and hosts the podcast In Moscow’s Shadows.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Subscribe for all our updates!

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The discussion explores why climate change is often described as a “threat multiplier.” Rather than directly causing conflict, environmental change is intensifying existing pressures on livelihoods, food security, and water access. The conversation highlights how droughts, floods, and rising temperatures affect farmers, pastoralists, and fishing communities, while also interacting with long-standing governance challenges and the ongoing insurgency involving groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province. 

Drawing on their recent research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Cedric and Andrew explain how climate pressures are reshaping social dynamics in the region. The project is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Cedric de Coning is a Research Professor whose work focuses on adaptive peacebuilding and the climate–peace nexus. 

Andrew E. Yaw Tchie is a Senior Research Fellow at NUPI, with research focusing on peace operations, stabilisation, and security cooperation across Africa. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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And to unpack what is happening in Iran, we are joined by Milad Jafari. He is an Iranian political scientist, rearcher and policy analyst specialising in water diplomacy and governance with a water science and engineering background, specialising in water governance issues in Tehran and transboundary challenges of the Helmand and Yarmouk rivers. He serves as an editorial board member at World Water Policy, a member of the Iranian Water Diplomacy Associate and a youth associate with the Blue Peace Middle East. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our updates!

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Rachel Minyoung Lee is a Senior Fellow with the Stimson Center’s Korea Program and 38 North, and co-chair of the North Korea Economic Forum at George Washington University’s Institute for Korean Studies. She previously served for two decades as a North Korea collection expert and analyst with the United States government’s Open Source Enterprise, where she specialised in analysing North Korean media and leadership messaging. She later led engagement initiatives at the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna and served as a Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii. Her work focuses on North Korean strategic messaging, regime behaviour, and the political economy of the Korean Peninsula.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We discuss the origins and logic of the UK’s CONTEST counterterrorism strategy, the importance of resilience and normality in crisis management, and the challenge of making sound judgements under conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity and institutional pressure. From warning failure and public trust to societal risk and the practical realities of managing national emergencies, this conversation offers valuable lessons in how governments and organisations can think more clearly, respond more effectively, and build resilience before the next crisis hits.

Professor Sir David Omand is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, a member of the editorial board of the academic journal Intelligence and National Security, and a member of the advisory board of Paladin Capital, which invests in cyber security start-ups.

He has held senior posts across the UK’s security, intelligence, and defence institutions, including Director of GCHQ, Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, and the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator in the Cabinet Office, responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counterterrorism strategy, and ‘homeland security’. He served for seven years on the UK Joint Intelligence Committee and writes widely on intelligence, counterterrorism strategy, resilience, and the ethics of secret intelligence.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Subscribe for all our updates!

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The conversation highlights how climate litigation is not confined to fossil fuel producers alone. While major emitters remain central targets, claims are increasingly extending to banks, investors, and companies across the economy whose strategies are misaligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. He explains how advances in attribution science are allowing courts to trace emissions through to specific climate harms, strengthening causal arguments and narrowing the space for uncertainty-based defences. Even where claims are unsuccessful, companies face material consequences through legal costs, reputational damage, investor scrutiny, and heightened disclosure obligations.

Find out more about how courts are beginning to accept, in principle, that corporations may bear proportional responsibility for climate impacts, and how this possibility is reshaping risk assessments. The episode examines the implications of cases against companies such as RWE and Shell, as well as emerging litigation targeting financial institutions for the emissions they indirectly finance. It considers whether investors are "flying blind" in the face of evolving liability standards and how fragmented jurisdictional approaches complicate global risk modelling.

Dr Rupert Stuart-Smith is Deputy Director of Climate Science and the Law and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Sustainable Law Programme at the University of Oxford. His research sits at the intersection of climate science, legal accountability, and financial risk. In addition to his academic research, Rupert has advised international legal bodies, including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, on the role of climate science in judicial decision-making.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders

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The conversation moves beyond the hype to examine the structural drivers of today’s nuclear competition, ranging from missile defence and deep precision strike capabilities to AI-enabled intelligence systems and shifting alliance politics.

Find Ankit Panda’s book The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon here: https://www.amazon.com/New-Nuclear-Age-Precipice-Armageddon/dp/1509557466

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Hamid Khalafallah is a PhD researcher at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester, where he focuses on grassroots movements and political transitions across Africa. He has worked extensively in Sudan with international organisations on governance and development and has been an active participant in Sudan’s pro-democracy movement. His research examines participatory governance, elite bargaining, state fragility, and the political economy of conflict in Sudan and the wider region.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our updates!

Tell us what you liked!

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about how efficiency-driven “just-in-time” models prioritised cost reduction over redundancy, leaving food systems exposed to cascading shocks. The discussion explores how export controls, regulatory divergence, and concentrated supply chains redistribute risk rather than contain it, and why national governments remain accountable for outcomes they no longer fully control.

The episode also examines the tension between sovereignty and shared governance, particularly within the EU, and considers whether existing risk assessment tools are calibrated for systemic disruption rather than isolated supply failures.

Finally, the conversation turns to civil preparedness and strategic exposure: whether food is treated as critical infrastructure, how geopolitical competition is reshaping access to staples and inputs, and which indicators policymakers should monitor as climate stress and political fragmentation intensify pressures on global food governance.

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The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Professor Salehi-Isfahani is Professor of Economics at Virginia Tech. He received his PhD from Harvard University and has previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Managing Editor of the Middle East Development Journal and a Research Fellow at the Economic Research Forum in Cairo. His research focuses on labour markets, inequality, youth unemployment, and the economic consequences of sanctions and policy reform in the Middle East.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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From Brazil’s 2025 presidency and AI regulation to climate finance, payment systems, and the realities of de-dollarisation, the discussion cuts through the headlines to examine what BRICS+ is actually delivering, and where structural risks remain. The episode also explores cooperation among expanded members, tensions around UN reform, and what meaningful success could look like in 2026.

Mihaela Papa is Director of Research and a Principal Research Scientist at the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she leads the BRICS Lab. Previously, she led the Rising Power Alliances project and taught sustainable development and global governance at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She has published extensively on geopolitics, BRICS convergence, BRICS-US relations, and questions of global leadership, and climate diplomacy. Her analysis and commentary have appeared in World Politics Review, Foreign Affairs, and The Conversation, as well as on Bloomberg, BBC, CNN, News 24, the South China Morning Post, and other media outlets. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Subscribe for all our updates!

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Find out more about how identity was managed under the Assad regime, how sectarianisation unfolded differently in cities such as Homs and Damascus, and why collective memory, displacement, and institutional weakness continue to influence Syria’s fragile post-conflict landscape.

The conversation also examines citizenship, state formation, and the structural challenges of rebuilding trust between communities after prolonged violence. Dr Rifai explores whether a unified Syrian national identity can be reconstructed, and what role education, transitional justice, and institutional reform will play in that process.

Finally, they discuss the regional and geopolitical dimensions of Syria’s transformation, the risks posed by unresolved identity fractures, and the indicators policymakers and risk professionals should monitor as Syria navigates its next phase.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Fourteen months on, where is Syria today? Internationally, the country has secured a number of diplomatic victories. At home, however, the road to rebuilding and ensuring safety and stability remains long. Much of the country still lies in ruins, sectarian tensions have flared up periodically, and there are ongoing threats to Syria’s territorial integrity, including incursions by Turkey and Israel.

What, then, are the main priorities for Syria and al-Sharaa’s government—and what key challenges does the country face as it rebuilds?

And today, to unpack this further, we are joined by a familiar voice, Dominic Bowen, the host you are used to listening to on the International Risk Podcast. Yes, today he is back in the interviewee spot, joining us live from Damascus, and I, Anna Kummelstedt, one of the producers of the show, take on the interview hat once again. Many of you may be used to hearing Dominic’s voice,but what you may not know is that this is not Dominic’s first time in Syria. In fact, he was working with MSF (Doctors without Borders) as a field coordinator in northern Syria in 2014; he then became the Head of the NGO Forum for northern Syria, where Dominic provided leadership and coordination of humanitarian activities. He also authored the report in 2025, “Failing Syria: Assessing the impact of UNSC Resolutions in protecting civilians, and in 2018-19, he supported Save the Children’s operations in Syria. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organized crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Tell us what you liked!

From challenging the "three lines of defence" to making space for observation, communication, and adaptable KPIs, this conversation offers practical insight into why organisations still get the basics wrong and how they can start doing risk management in a way that actually supports better decisions, resilience, and opportunity.

Professor Simon Grima is the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, a professor, and Head of the Department of Insurance and Risk Management at the University of Malta. Simon has served as President of the Malta Association of Risk Management (MARM) since 2023, and as President of the Malta Association of Compliance Officers (MACO) from 2013 to 2015 and from 2016 to 2018. He is also Co-Chair of the Scientific Education Committee of the Federation of European Risk Managers (FERMA) and a member of the Strategic Risk Leaders Association (SRLA).

Simon’s research focuses on governance, regulation and internal controls, and he has over 30 years of experience in financial services, academia and public entities. Simon acts as an independent director for financial services firms, sits on risk, compliance, procurement, investment and audit committees, and carries out duties as a compliance officer, internal auditor and risk manager.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Subscribe for all our updates!

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We discuss a successful intervention case, examine the role of online culture and political rhetoric, and address the challenges parents face when navigating digital access. This episode aims to help listeners better understand the routes into extremism, and how early awareness can play a vital role in prevention!

Allizandra Herberhold is a de-radicalisation coach, mentor, and True Crime Community (TCC) educator who works directly with radicalised, at-risk, and violent teens and young adults to help prevent mass shootings and counter violent extremism. She specialises in de-radicalisation, disengagement, and Behavioural Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM), applying these frameworks in hands-on work with vulnerable youth and adults.

Allizandra also conducts independent research on mass shootings in schools, workplaces, and public spaces. Her work examines the profiles of past mass shooters alongside the influence of the True Crime Community, incel ideology, nihilistic violent extremism (think of the 764 or the 09A), and accelerationist movements. For more than three years, she has gathered and analysed data to identify patterns, warning signs, and actionable insights - information she shares with families, schools, and organisations to support early intervention, violence prevention, and community safety.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about what pushes gold trends, from uncertain geopolitical trends to Trump’s threats on tariffs, and an overall mistrust in governments and institutions worldwide. The conversation also addresses the psychological aspect of the trust in gold as a secure investment coming from humanity’s social and economic history, and central banks’ reserves, although Dominic and Moshe examine the risks of such high trust in limited goods whose value depends on demand and decision-makers. 

Dr. Moshe Lander is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Concordia University, where he has taught since 2013, and a sessional instructor at Dalhousie University. Before joining academia full-time, he served as Senior Economist with the Government of Alberta from 2003 to 2007. His fields of expertise include public economics, international trade and finance, economic policy, and the economics of sports, gaming, and gambling. Beyond academia, Dr. Lander is a well-known media commentator who frequently appears across Canadian television, radio, print, and online platforms to discuss economic, business, and policy developments. Renowned for his engaging and accessible style, he has been recognized multiple times as Concordia’s Newsmaker of the Month, most recently in March 2025, for his sharp analysis of issues such as anti-tariff campaigns and the fiscal impact of carbon tax reforms.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Tell us what you liked!

Russ Mould is Investment Director at AJ Bell and one of the UK’s most respected market commentators. With over three decades of experience, he began his career as a fund manager at Scottish Equitable before spending more than a decade at UBS Investment Bank as a technology equity analyst during the dot-com era. He later became editor of Shares Magazine before joining AJ Bell, where he plays a central role in investment strategy, client communication, and media engagement. Russ is widely known for his clear, valuation-led approach to markets and his ability to connect macroeconomic risk with practical investment decisions.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our updates!

Tell us what you liked!

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Simon Keslake is the Co-Founder and Behavioural Architect of Behavioural Risk Intelligence® (BRI). His focus is on redefining how organisations measure, understand, and manage the most complex human risks – those originating across leadership teams.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr McDowell is a leading scholar of international political economy and global finance. He is the Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. He is the author of Bucking the Buck: US Financial Sanctions and the International Backlash Against the Dollar, and is widely known for his work on currency competition, financial sanctions, and the political foundations of monetary power.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our updates!

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The conversation also addresses the risks of fragmentation and civil conflict, the role of illicit economies in sustaining governance, and the future of criminal networks operating across Venezuela. Finally, they explore the international implications of Maduro’s capture, including the precedent it sets for international law, great-power competition, and the shifting global order.

Dr. Brian Fonseca is a leading expert in national security, foreign policy, and cybersecurity. He serves as Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and Adjunct Professor at Florida International University, where he also leads Cybersecurity@FIU. A Cybersecurity and International Security Fellow at New America, he regularly comments in national and international media and is an on-air political analyst for WSVN–Fox News. Dr. Fonseca has testified before the U.S. Congress and is the author or editor of several books on security and geopolitics in the Americas. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and in senior research roles at U.S. Southern Command.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our updates!

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Scott shares his personal exit story and highlights case studies of successful disengagement, offering insights for companies on identifying early warning signs of extremism and mitigating associated risks. The conversation concludes with a broader discussion of global risks, rising violence, and concerns about government-backed extremism, providing a nuanced perspective on the challenges of confronting and preventing radicalisation.

Scott Ernest is a former white nationalist recruiter and activist, most notable for being a moderator on the white nationalist forum Stormfront, as well as a recruiter for the now-defunct organisation Pioneer Little Europe Kalispell. He was also a member of the Oath Keepers, Asatru Folk Assembly, and several other groups. He exited the white nationalist movement in 2016 due to getting disgusted with the negativity and violence in the movement, especially because he had met mass murderers over the 12 years that he was involved. Scott currently runs the non-profit NGO, the Center for Extremism Prevention and Intervention x Hands of Eir, which he founded to help people leaving far-right extremist movements. He specializes in creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ people who have found themselves in such movements, and has himself come out as queer. Scott is back in Montana after receiving a degree elsewhere and is a current MSW student at the University of Montana, while he resides in an RV in the Flathead.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about how the Taliban have reshaped the country’s security landscape since 2021, including the shifting threat posed by ISKP, the limits of Afghanistan as a terrorist hub, and why some regional actors now view engagement with the Taliban as a pragmatic risk-containment strategy rather than an endorsement of their rule.

The conversation also addresses the devastating human consequences of Taliban governance, with a particular focus on what the United Nations has described as gender apartheid. Emily explains how the systematic exclusion of women and girls from education, healthcare, and public life undermines long-term stability, peacebuilding, and state legitimacy -and why inclusive governance remains essential for durable security.

Finally, they explore the role of the international community in Afghanistan’s future, unpacking Western withdrawal, moral trade-offs around humanitarian aid, Russia’s decision to recognise the Taliban, and the lessons policymakers must learn from past hypocrisy, warlord politics, and missed opportunities for inclusive peace.

Emily Winterbotham is the Director of Terrorism and Conflict Studies at RUSI, where she leads work across London, Brussels, and Nairobi on terrorism, counterterrorism, peacebuilding, and fragile states, with a particular focus on Asia, especially Afghanistan and Pakistan. For over 15 years, she has combined desk research and field postings in international policy environments, including a decade working on conflict in Afghanistan. Between 2009 and 2015, she operated in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conducted community-based qualitative work for the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, studying conflict resolution, reconciliation, and pathways for demobilising and reintegrating former Taliban fighters. She also serves as a Deployable Civilian Expert for the UK Government’s Stabilisation Unit. Emily is co-author of Countering Violent Extremism: Making Gender Matter (2020) and Conflict, Violent Extremism and Development: New Challenges, New Responses (2018), and her CVE research addresses the concept of gendered radicalisation and how counter-extremism programs can better integrate gender perspectives.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across t

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To unpack this critically important topic, we are joined by Dr Gabriella Gricius, a Senior Research Associate at the Arctic Institute. She is also a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Konstanz in Germany, and a Fellow and Media Coordinator with the North America and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN). Dr Gricius GRISHIS is an expert in Arctic and Nordic Security,

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Dr Lo is one of the most respected analysts of global order and great power politics and is widely known for his analysis of global governance, strategic competition, and the structural forces driving international instability. A former deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy in Moscow, he previously led the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and is now a Non-Resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He is the author of several influential books, including Axis of Convenience: Moscow, Beijing, and the New Geopolitics (2008) and his latest book The Disorderly Society: Rethinking Global Governance in an Age of Anarchy (2026), which covers the topics discussed in this episode extensively.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Find out more about how migration has become a tool of geopolitical pressure, how EU border externalisation shapes incentives on both sides of the Mediterranean, and why securitisation has repeatedly failed to prevent humanitarian tragedies at these borders. The discussion highlights how local events in Ceuta and Melilla are embedded in wider regional dynamics involving EU–Morocco relations, Western Sahara, and strategic bargaining.

The conversation also addresses the often-overlooked maritime dimension of the dispute, including continental shelf claims, maritime boundary delimitation, and the role of international law under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ángeles Jiménez explains how technical legal processes can become politicised and why maritime claims matter for resources, influence, and long-term strategic positioning.

Finally, they explore the concept of grey zone strategy more broadly, examining how states pursue territorial and political objectives through legal acts, narrative framing, migration management, and civilian mobilisation, without triggering open conflict. The episode reflects on what Ceuta and Melilla reveal about modern geopolitics, international risk, and the limits of legal and institutional solutions.

Ángeles Jiménez García-Carriazo holds a Ph.D. in Law, specializing in the Law of the Sea and Public International Law. She is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Cádiz (Spain), where she leads various academic and policy-oriented initiatives on ocean governance and human rights at sea. She also serves as Legal Advisor to the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and is a member of the Spanish Delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). She is the Director of the Observatory for Migration and Human Rights of the European University of the Seas Alliance (SEA-EU). Her scholarly output includes a monograph, edited volumes, numerous book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles addressing key areas of the law of the sea: the continental shelf, maritime boundary delimitation, underwater cultural heritage, peaceful settlement of disputes, and human rights at sea.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clar

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Dr Moon is a leading researcher and practitioner in synthetic biology, working at the intersection of science, policy, and global collaboration. He is a professor, entrepreneur, and Director of a National Science Foundation Global Center, with extensive experience in biomanufacturing, climate applications, and medical innovation. His work focuses on translating cutting-edge biological engineering into real-world solutions, while actively engaging on biosafety, biosecurity, ethical oversight, and the need for inclusive global governance as synthetic biology reshapes the future of risk and opportunity.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Sophia Nina B-A has lived and worked for over a decade in Central Asia and Afghanistan, conducting geopolitical risk analysis and strategic advisory services in both the public and private sectors. Her particular area of focus is on transport infrastructure, particularly railways. She currently works as a freelance journalist and a consultant for the international development sector, with her recent assignment consulting for the IFC based in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

In 2024, she founded Train of Thought, a project that researches, maps and offers strategic analysis on railway development in Iran, Central Asia and Afghanistan. She has published over 30 articles on railways and transport infrastructure with bylines in RUSI, The Diplomat, Le Monde, The BBC, and The Economist. Sophia is a native English speaker and fluent in Uzbeki, Russian, Dari and conversational Tajiki. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr Hilde is a defence scholar at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, with expertise in Arctic security, Russian and Northern European defence policy, and alliance strategy. His work focuses on how climate transformation, military posture, and geopolitical signalling intersect in the High North, and how risk in the Arctic is shaped as much by misperception and hype as by material capability. He regularly engages with policymakers, defence communities, and researchers on Arctic governance, NATO strategy, and the security implications of environmental change.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about how constitutional norms erode not with dramatic collapse, but through incremental shifts in political behaviour, rhetoric, and executive overreach — and why institutional resilience depends as much on culture and restraint as on legal frameworks.

The conversation also addresses the rise of populism, the backlash against globalization, protectionism, and the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s refusal to accept the post–Cold War settlement. They consider the economic and social drivers behind public anger, and the tensions between identity, sovereignty, and prosperity.

Finally, they explore whether existing political systems can adapt, what realistic reforms might look like, and how leaders — and voters — can help rebuild legitimacy, accountability, and trust.

Lord Jonathan Sumption, OBE, is one of the most distinguished legal and intellectual figures in Britain. A former Justice of the UK Supreme Court, he joined the bench in 2012 after an exceptional career at the Bar, becoming one of only a handful of barristers since the 19th century to be appointed directly to the highest court. Before entering the law, he studied history at Magdalen College, Oxford, later serving as a Fellow in History and publishing his first major work on medieval pilgrimage. Over the following decades, he built a great practice in commercial, public, EU, and constitutional law, taking Silk in 1986 and serving in various judicial and advisory roles, including as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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To unpack this further, we are joined by Theresa Sabonis-Helf, she is a professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Masters program, serving as the Chair of the Science, Technology and International Affairs concentration. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College. She has lived and worked in seven countries of the former USSR and has assisted two of these countries with the development of their National Security Strategies.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Find out more about why gold prices have surged to record highs, how central banks are using gold as a geopolitical hedge, and what this reveals about anxiety, sovereignty, and declining trust in global financial systems.

The conversation also addresses the K-shaped economy, what it really means to be “on the right side” of it, and the concrete leadership behaviors that separate those who thrive in volatility from those who merely survive -including clarity on risk appetite, forward-looking indicators, and practicing leadership at every level.

Finally, they explore memory, justice, and global insecurity — from Srebrenica and the limits of international protection, to the resurgence of extremist violence and the uncomfortable truth about how hatred, fragmentation, and collective fear continue to shape world events.

Melanie Meimoun is an International Relations and Communication Specialist working for the International Risk Podcast. Recently graduated from a Master's in International Public Policy at University College London, where she researched forced migration memory through the case of Tunisian Jews, she leverages a background in Politics and Philosophy at three different universities -Paris, London, and Madrid- to assess International Risk, and stay up to date on Global affairs.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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This episode with Dr Lev Breydo explores how sovereign debt has evolved into a strategic instrument of power in an era of heightened geopolitical risk. We examine how credit markets, financial infrastructure, and legal design now shape state behaviour, constrain autonomy, and function as tools of coercion below the threshold of open conflict. The discussion looks at political default, sanctions, and the weaponisation of finance, alongside record global debt levels and the growing risks facing emerging and frontier economies. We also unpack the role of the United States at the centre of the global credit system, and how domestic fiscal politics can generate international instability. Finally, the episode considers how artificial intelligence and digital finance may reshape sovereign risk, transparency, and future fault lines in the global financial order.

Dr Breydo is a scholar of law, finance, and technology whose research focuses on sovereign debt markets, financial institutions, digital assets, and artificial intelligence. His work examines how legal frameworks and market structures shape power, risk, and governance in the international system, with particular attention to debt distress, sanctions, and the strategic use of financial infrastructure. He engages regularly with policymakers, academics, and market participants on issues at the intersection of geopolitics, financial stability, and emerging technologies.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Romane Dideberg is a researcher at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. She works within the institute’s Africa Programme, engaging with policymakers, researchers, private sector, and international organisations on key policy challenges across the African continent. Her research focuses on peace and security dynamics and political developments in West Africa and the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, and the Great Lakes region. Her areas of expertise include the political economy of conflict, resource governance, extractive industries, African statehood, and state–society relations. Before joining Chatham House, she worked at LSE IDEAS, the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think tank.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about how competing narratives have shaped post-war identities, the role of international courts in establishing the historical record, and the impact of recent political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Republika Srpska.

The conversation also addresses the fragility of peace in the Western Balkans, the limitations of international interventions, the erosion of democratic norms, and the dangers posed by nationalist rhetoric and historical distortion.

Finally, they explore what meaningful remembrance should look like, how civil society can counter denial, and whether the international community is equipped or willing to prevent future atrocities in the region.

Aidan Hehir is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster, where he has taught since 2007 after positions at the University of Sheffield and the University of Limerick, where he also earned his PhD in 2005. He is Course Leader for the postgraduate programmes in International Relations, International Relations and Security, and International Relations and Democratic Politics, and teaches modules on humanitarian intervention and international security. His research focuses on transitional justice, humanitarian intervention, and statebuilding in Kosovo. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including Kosovo and the Internationals: Hope, Hubris and the End of History (2024) and Hollow Norms and the Responsibility to Protect (2019) - winner of the British International Studies Association’s prize for best book on intervention and R2P.  His publications include over fifty book chapters and journal articles in leading outlets such as Ethics and International Affairs, and Cooperation and Conflict. He is co-editor of the Routledge Intervention and Statebuilding series, a founding co-convenor of the BISA Working Group on the Responsibility to Protect, and has delivered more than a hundred conference papers worldwide. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliv

Tell us what you liked!

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

Tell us what you liked!

Find out more about how immersive, narrative-driven crisis simulations build confidence, reveal real decision-making styles, and change behaviour in ways that traditional plans, policies, and PowerPoint exercises cannot.

The conversation also addresses leadership engagement, organisational culture, information warfare, and why awareness and punishment fail to improve crisis readiness without experiential learning.

Finally, they explore how open feedback, realistic rehearsal, and story-based training can transform crisis preparedness from a compliance exercise into a true strategic advantage.

Robert Pratten is a UK-based transmedia storyteller, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Conducttr, a crisis-simulation platform used for training, exercises, and information operations simulation. He’s also the author of a practical guide on transmedia storytelling and regularly comments on the overlap between story design and simulation. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Visit Conducttr to learn more.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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The conversation examines how cyber operations, disinformation, sabotage, proxy warfare and infrastructure interference generate cumulative effects that erode resilience, undermine public trust and complicate decision-making for governments, businesses and societies. Together, they discuss why hybrid threats are best understood not as isolated tactics but as part of a broader risk-management approach to conflict, and what this means for democratic resilience, public-private cooperation and the future of indirect warfare.

Dr Andrew Mumford is Professor of War Studies at the University of Nottingham. His research focuses on contemporary and historical conflict, with particular expertise in insurgency, counterinsurgency, proxy warfare and military strategy. He is the author of The Counterinsurgency Myth, The British Experience of Irregular Warfare, and The West’s War Against ISIS. His work examines how states manage risk, legitimacy and escalation in modern conflict, offering insights that inform policymakers, security practitioners and institutions grappling with the rise of hybrid and grey zone warfare.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about why Egypt views forced displacement from Gaza as an existential red line, how humanitarian access has become a major point of contention, and the shifting political dynamics inside Israel that are influencing regional instability. 

The conversation also addresses the role of the United States and Europe in shaping (or failing to shape) constructive pathways toward peace, as well as Egypt’s mediation efforts across repeated Gaza conflicts. 

Finally, they explore the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the future of Palestinian governance, and the personal diplomatic experiences that have shaped Ambassador Youssef’s understanding of what is still possible in the Middle East.

Hesham Youssef is an Egyptian career diplomat and conflict-resolution expert with over three decades of experience in Middle Eastern diplomacy. He has served in senior roles at the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and as a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. Currently a Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace, Youssef specializes in humanitarian affairs, Arab-Israeli relations, and institutional reform in the Arab world. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to dialogue, peacebuilding, and multilateral diplomacy across the Islamic world.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Today, we explore how climate stress becomes violence, and why understanding this nexus between violence and climate stress matters for governments, business, communities and for all of us thinking about future security threats.

To do that, we are joined by Peter Schwartzstein, an award-winning British-American environmental journalist and researcher. He has reported on the conflict-climate nexus across 30+ countries in the Middle East, Africa, and beyond, writing for National Geographic, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, BBC, Bloomberg, and Foreign Policy. He is a fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, as well as the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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We explore the tactics used by today’s far-left extremist actors, as well as their potential to impact systems, institutions, and critical infrastructure. The discussion expands into the programs designed to prevent radicalisation and support disengagement, highlighting what’s working, and what remains challenging, in addressing these dynamics. From the spread of conspiracy theories to the emerging trends that may define the next decade, we look ahead to what the future might hold. The result is a wide-ranging, thought-provoking exploration of ideology, vulnerability, and resilience in a rapidly changing world.

Felix Neumann has been working at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin since 2022. In this role, he deals with all extremist and violent movements in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. His focus is particularly on online-based movements and conspiracy ideologies. He holds a master's degree in War and Conflict Studies from the University of Potsdam. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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The discussion also turns to Russia, where artistic expression faces tightening suppression and where acts of creativity have become acts of rebellion. We trace surprising cultural parallels that surface amid conflict, the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in shaping wartime narratives, and the ways cultural diplomacy and propaganda intertwine on the global stage. Finally, we examine the long history of suppressing Ukrainian culture and look ahead: What might the future hold for Ukrainian society, identity, and artistic life once the war’s dust settles? A thoughtful, far-reaching exploration of culture as both a battlefield and a beacon.

Olha Mukha, PhD, is a cultural analyst and philosopher, cultural manager, curator and expert on international communication and human rights. Known for her extensive work in cultural diplomacy and human rights. She is Co-Founder and Programme Director of the Ukrainian Association of Cultural Studies - Lviv and Head of Educational and International Department of Memorial Museum “Territory of Terror”. Senior Strategist at strategic communications (IN2). She is an expert in crisis communication, creating participant journeys for sensitive topics, aesthetic perception, and memory studies, including oral history practices. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Today: Reko Diq—one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits on the planet—touted as Pakistan’s ticket to foreign capital and the energy transition. The Western pitch: jobs, growth, “responsible mining.” Local human rights actors have complained about decades of militarisation, enforced disappearances, and communities sidelined from decisions about their land and water.

Our guest is Lateef Johar Baloch—human rights researcher, member of the Human Rights Council of Balochistan,

In our conversation with Lateef today, we want to look beyond the headlines of Reko Diq as a multi-billion-dollar mining project and dig into what it represents on the ground, who benefits, and what are the risks.  

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Dr Tim Stevens is Reader in International Security at King’s College London and co-director of its Cyber Security Research Group. His work analyses the politics of cybersecurity, hybrid threats, cyber risk and the global contest over technological infrastructures. He is the author of several leading publications in the field, including Research Handbook on Cyberwarfare (2024) and What Is Cybersecurity For? (2023). His research examines how cyber operations intersect with societal vulnerabilities, strategic signalling and governance capacity, offering perspectives that inform policymakers, security professionals and institutions responding to the rapidly evolving cyber-hybrid threat landscape.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr Krampe outlines the pathways through which climate variability translates into insecurity, explaining how deteriorating livelihoods, internal displacement, armed actor behaviour, and resource exploitation shape conflict environments. The conversation highlights the challenges facing regional and European institutions as they attempt to incorporate climate-security into policy and operational planning, including issues of institutional fragmentation, competing priorities, and the diversion of resources. Dr Krampe also discusses the implications for Europe’s strategic posture, supply chains, and the growing need to understand climate impacts not only as external pressures but as domestic security concerns.

Dr Florian Krampe is the Director of Studies, Peace and Development at the SIPRI and the Acting Director of SIPRI’s Climate Change and Risk Programme. His work examines the intersection of climate change, environmental stress, fragility, and security, providing analysis that informs international organisations, governments, and regional actors. His research focuses on how climate impacts interact with governance capacity, peacebuilding processes, and long-term resilience, and he has contributed to some of SIPRI’s leading frameworks for understanding climate-related security risks.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Susannah Streeter is a renowned financial commentator, international broadcaster, and former BBC business anchor known for translating complex global trends into clear, actionable insights. She has led money and markets analysis for the UK’s largest retail investment platform and appears widely across outlets such as the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and CNBC. Fluent in English and French, Susannah is a sought-after keynote speaker and conference chair who moderates high-level discussions on economics, geopolitics, climate policy, and technological disruption at events worldwide—from the World Green Economy Summit and Arctic Frontiers to major OECD and Paris Club forums. A former RAF Squadron Leader, she brings a deep understanding of defence and strategic issues, complementing her expertise in financial markets, AI, and macroeconomics. She also hosts leading investment and technology podcasts, writes columns for The Evening Standard and City AM, and has received multiple Headlinemoney Awards for her impactful financial analysis.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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John Sitilides is a professional keynote speaker on geopolitics at corporate, investor, and industry conferences, and before government, military and intelligence community audiences, on geopolitical risk management and the business impacts of international security policies, John Sitilides is Principal at Trilogy Advisors LLC in Washington, D.C., and is Senior Fellow for National Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. 

Delivering exclusive geopolitical risk reports, webcasts, and related products and services to institutional capital market and retail clients, he explores the complex geopolitical and geo-economic decisions that impact markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and worldwide, helping corporate executives, investment managers and civic audiences better understand, anticipate, and mitigate risk in a disrupted international financial and security environment.  

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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We also discuss the urgent need to reeducate the public, the role of the shadow economy and legitimate businesses, and how media narratives shape perceptions of trafficking. Finally, we look at how armed conflicts exacerbate international risks, and what it will take to confront this crisis with clarity and compassion.

Dr. Ludmila Bogdan is an independent researcher and policy consultant specialising in human trafficking, labour migration, and international security. Trained in diplomacy and political science, she combines rigorous academic research with hands-on policy work to bridge the gap between scholarship and real-world impact. Her research focuses on labour exploitation, migration governance, and human rights, offering evidence-based insights that inform both policy and practice.

Ludmila has held research and teaching positions at Harvard University, the University of Copenhagen, Stanford University, and Georgetown University, as well as policy roles with the United Nations. Her work has guided criminal justice and migration reforms, strengthened anti-trafficking responses, and advanced women’s rights and migrant integration. She is the author of a forthcoming book on human traffickers, to be published by Routledge, and continues to advise international organisations and governments on labour exploitation, migration policy, and human rights.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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They discuss how traditional surveillance struggles to track unregistered or deliberately obscured vessels, and how satellite imagery, SAR, radiofrequency detection, and AIS data can be combined to identify evasive behaviour at sea. Yet, evidence from these technologies remains inconsistently admissible in legal or regulatory settings. The conversation highlights both the potential and limits of space-enabled monitoring, the legal uncertainties of geospatial evidence, and the institutional gaps that hinder coordinated enforcement against sanctions evasion and illicit trade.

The guests also explore technical vulnerabilities in satellite sensing, standards for reliability and authenticity, and the need for frameworks integrating ocean-domain intelligence, space-derived data, and clear legal pathways for verification. They consider incentives, jurisdictional constraints, and governance barriers shaping responses to shadow fleets, reflecting on what credible, scalable maritime intelligence will require in the years ahead.

Tuana is the Founder, Chair and CEO of Tuana Group, its subsidiaries AeroAI Voyages and AeroAI DesignLab, and the nonprofit AeroAI Global Solutions, an observer organisation to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). Across these entities, she works at the intersection of space technologies, artificial intelligence and governance, developing applied solutions that use advanced sensing and AI systems to improve global living conditions.

Steven is the former Chief Data Strategist at IBM Watson and founder of the Ocean Data Alliance. He is a leading voice in open data governance, ocean information policy, and the development of trusted, interoperable data systems for governments, multilateral bodies, and industry, focusing on infrastructures needed for effective maritime oversight.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners and senior decision-makers who shape how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you are a board member, policymaker or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at a major risk consulting firm, he advises CEOs, boards and senior executives on preparing for uncertainty and acting with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure and ability to turn volatility into strategic advantage. He equips leaders with the insight and confidence needed to navigate disruption and deliver long-term resilience.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Serbeze Haxhiaj has been working as an investigative journalist and news editor in Kosovo and for international media for over 19 years, dealing mainly with the most pressing issues such as corruption, human rights, security issues, religious extremism, terrorism and war crimes.

Haxhiaj is currently an editor at Radio Television of Kosovo and a journalist of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN). She has previously worked for the daily newspapers Rilindja, Zeri, Lajm and Koha ditore, was the correspondent in Pristina of the French Courrier des Balkans, and worked for 5 years as a specialised researcher for the Navanti Group, an American research and analysis institute.

For reporting on war crimes, organised crime, corruption, human rights and violence against women, Haxhiaj has been awarded 12 twelve times by various local and international organisations. She holds master degree in International Law.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Eltayeb explains why the crisis in Sudan cannot be understood without acknowledging the role of external sponsors, how disinformation has distorted the narrative surrounding the war, and why famine is being used deliberately as a weapon against besieged populations. The conversation highlights the erosion of state institutions, the fragmentation of sovereignty, and the urgent need to centre civilian agency in any future political settlement.

Dr. Eltayeb is a Sudanese politician, researcher, writer, and activist. He combines academic rigour with moral urgency. Lifelong commitment to truth-telling in the face of authoritarian violence, belief in citizen agency, and refusal to separate humanitarian imperatives from politics and power have defined his career. His training as a medical doctor was supplemented by postgraduate training in public health and research methods. He was one of the leading Sudanese revolutionaries that brought the December 2018 revolution to a triumph in toppling the Islamist regime of Omer Elbashir (1989 - 2019). After that, he worked as Assistant Chief of Staff to the Sudanese Prime Minister (2019–2021), where he helped the fragile democratic transition after decades of authoritarianism. Later, he worked as a political advisor to the UN political mission to Sudan (UNITAMS) following the October 2021 military takeover. Currently he is the executive director of Fikra for Studies and Development, a non-partisan Sudanese think tank.

Since the recording of this episode, El Fasher has been seized, marking a grave and deeply consequential shift in the conflict, with far reaching humanitarian and political repercussions that sharpen the gravity of what Dr. Eltayeb describes.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Sabrina Alam explains why Earth observation is now integral to environmental accountability, how fragmented standards threaten the credibility of ESG frameworks, and what international cooperation is needed to ensure equitable access to space-derived information. The conversation highlights the dual-use nature of satellite technology, the rise of commercial constellations, and the urgent need for interoperability between sustainability and space governance.

Sabrina Alam is Director in Sustainability Advisory and EU Space Lead at KPMG Luxembourg. She advises governments, institutions, and private-sector partners on the integration of space-based data into sustainability strategies, ESG reporting, and resilience planning.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Jessica Moody is a political risk, due diligence and peacebuilding consultant in West Africa. She conducts open source and on the ground research into political, economic and security developments in West Africa and provides timely forecasts as well as scenario planning to clients, enabling them to better plan their operations. She also provides detailed insights into key personalities across West Africa, to enable businesses to understand power structures and who they should prioritise engagement with.

Jessica has worked in and on West Africa for more than a decade, during which she has consulted for an array of organisations ranging from S&P Global to Horizon Engage to the United States Institute of Peace. Having spent time living and working in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali, she has an extensive range of local contacts in government and the private sector across the region. Jessica has a BA hons degree in History from the University of Nottingham, an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a PhD in War Studies, focusing on Cote d’Ivoire from King’s College London. She is the author of Life After War: Lessons in Human Centered Peacebuilding from Cote d’Ivoire (London, Bloomsbury) – forthcoming in May 2026.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.
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The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Vjosa Musliu is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the VUB. Her research interests include international and European interventions, conflicts and international political economy. Her area of focus is primarily the Balkans and post-Soviet space. She is a co-editor of the Routledge Series of Studies in Intervention and Statebuilding and co-founder of Yugoslawomen+ Collective, a collective of six academics from the post-Yugoslav space working in ‘Global North’ academia She is also a board director at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights Kosovo. She is the author of three books and dozens of journal articles in the field of international relations. Before entering academia, she worked as a journalist in Kosovo. Vjosa is based between Belgium and Kosovo.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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At 7am on the 15th of August, after ten days of marathon sessions and a final overtime session that stretched more than 24 hours, the Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution formally adjourned INC-5.2. What was meant to be the final round of talks on a global plastic treaty ended not with a breakthrough but with collapse. Despite two draft texts, delegates left Geneva without a consensus on a legally binding agreement. 

The deadlock revealed stark fault lines: on one side, a majority of countries demanding binding rules to tackle plastics across their full lifecycle — turning off the tap at the source. On the other hand, a minority of petrochemical and oil-producing states are pushing for a nationally determined approach, focused narrowly on recycling and waste management after production. The result? Paralysis by consensus: a process where the need for unanimity allowed a small group of obstructionists to stall the world’s response to a rapidly escalating crisis.

Today, we’re joined first by Christina Dixon, Ocean Campaign Leader at the Environmental Investigation Agency. For several years, Christina and her team at EIA have been pushing for a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution and she was present at the UN Environment Assembly in 2002 when nations adopted the resolution to begin negotiations on a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. Christina has more than 15 years of experience driving change through policy and strategic communication, including her previous role as Global Campaign Lead at World Animal Protection, and holds degrees in both Broadcast Journalism and Media and Communications. 

Alongside Christina, we are joined by Alexandra Harrington, an international law scholar and practitioner specialising in international organisations, environmental and sustainable development law, corporate social responsibility, transitional justice and treaty regimes. She is Chair of the Plastic Pollution Task Force at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She has published extensively, with recent books inlcuding International Law and Global Governance: Treaty Regimes and Sustainable Development Goals Interpretation. She holds a doctoral degree in civil law, in addition to a JD and LLM.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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César Muñoz Acebes is the Brazil director at Human Rights Watch, where he supervises research, advocates for foreign and domestic policies that promote human rights, and leads fundraising efforts in Brazil. Before his current role, he served as America's senior researcher and later associate director. In those capacities, he researched and wrote reports and articles, produced videos, and conducted advocacy on human rights abuses linked to illegal deforestation, police abuses, inhumane prison conditions, political persecution, and unchecked domestic violence, among other issues, in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. César has appeared as a human rights expert on many different broadcasters, and he has published opinion articles in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, amongst others.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dominic and Dr. Mosca also delve into the technical, economic, and diplomatic stakes of the quantum transition, from the “harvest-now, decrypt-later” threat to the cost and complexity of retrofitting global encryption systems. They explore how coordinated international governance, investment in post-quantum standards, and stronger public-private partnerships can build digital resilience before vulnerabilities are exploited.

Dr. Michele Mosca is Co-Founder and CEO of evolutionQ, a company providing quantum-safe cybersecurity solutions, and Co-Founder of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. He is also a founding member of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute and a leading authority on quantum-safe cryptography and risk management. His research and advisory work have helped shape international strategies for quantum readiness across finance, government, and global infrastructure sectors.

Drawing on decades of research and policy engagement, Dr. Mosca explains why societies must act now to secure their data and systems, how the transition to post-quantum cryptography can be managed effectively, and why this emerging field will define the resilience and trust of the digital age.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about what pushes gold trends, from uncertain geopolitical trends to Trump’s threats on tariffs, and an overall mistrust in governments and institutions worldwide. The conversation also addresses the psychological aspect of the trust in gold as a secure investment coming from humanity’s social and economic history, and central banks’ reserves, although Dominic and Moshe examine the risks of such high trust in limited goods whose value depends on demand and decision-makers. 

Dr. Moshe Lander is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Concordia University, where he has taught since 2013, and a sessional instructor at Dalhousie University. Before joining academia full-time, he served as Senior Economist with the Government of Alberta from 2003 to 2007. His fields of expertise include public economics, international trade and finance, economic policy, and the economics of sports, gaming, and gambling. Beyond academia, Dr. Lander is a well-known media commentator who frequently appears across Canadian television, radio, print, and online platforms to discuss economic, business, and policy developments. Renowned for his engaging and accessible style, he has been recognized multiple times as Concordia’s Newsmaker of the Month, most recently in March 2025, for his sharp analysis of issues such as anti-tariff campaigns and the fiscal impact of carbon tax reforms.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Today, we are joined by Brian Eyler and Palmo Tenzin. 

Brian is the Director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water and Sustainability programs. He is widely recognised as a leading voice and expert on transboundary water-energy-food nexus security issues in the Mekong River basin, having spent more than 15 years living and working in China. He is the co-lead on the Mekong Dam Monitor, an award-winning open-source platform providing near-real-time monitoring of dams and environmental impacts along the Mekong.

Palmo is an Advocacy Officer and Senior Researcher for the International Campaign for Tibet. Her research specialises in Chinese politics and contemporary Tibet, Sino-Tibetan relations and Asia-Pacific security. Before working at the ICT, Palmo held a position working in the Australian government and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She is the author of the report published in December 2024 titled, ‘Chinese Hydropower: Damning Tibet’s Culture, Community and Environment’, which she has presented at the UN Human Rights Council in March, the European Parliament in May and most recently at World Water Week in Sweden.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Today we are joined by Cormac Smith. Cormac works at the intersection of authentic leadership & effective communication. He travelled to Ukraine in 2016 to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor’ to Pavlo Klimkin, the then Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Cormac was attached to the British Embassy in Kyiv but was embedded in Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first foreigner to hold such a position. There he worked for the cabinet ministers of Health, Education and the Deputy Prime Minister. In addition, he worked with The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine and the NATO mission to the country. In 2018, Cormac joined the National Security Communication Team in the Cabinet Office, specifically to advise on Russian Disinformation / Hybrid Warfare tactics, in the wake of the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury. In addition, Cormac is a communication coach & charity leader & Bobsleigh veteran!

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Find out more about what the Taliban have implemented in the country, how they managed to secure most of the territory from terrorism, and set a record of complete control of the territory in 50 years since the departure of the US military forces from the country.

The conversation also addresses acute human rights violations against the Afghan population and the expected fall of the economy following the ban on opium production. Dominic and Arian also examine the security risks in the region emanating from different terrorist groups (especially the TTP, IS-El-K ) and the ongoing historical fight for dominion over Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dr Sharifi assesses the way to a sustainable state through negotiations and Hibatullah Akhundzada’s change of heart regarding necessary reforms.

Dr. Arian Sharifi is an American-Afghan national security professional with two decades of high-level policy and academic experience. While serving as Assistant National Security Advisor for President Ghani of Afghanistan, he advised senior leaders on foreign and security affairs, led the development of over 20 national-level policies and strategies – including the National Security Policy and Counter-terrorism Strategy – and implemented numerous operations, programs, and projects in the security and intelligence sectors. Dr. Sharifi has taught graduate school at Princeton University, conducted specialized research for major organizations, and advised leading institutions including the UN, NATO, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and others. Sharifi holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in International Security Studies from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA) from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and a Bachelor’s (BA) in Political Science from Wesleyan University. He has published widely in academic and policy journals, and is a frequent commentator on strategic and security issues in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and del

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Dominic and Adam also dive into the economic and geopolitical stakes of the AI race, from workforce disruption and re-skilling to public trust, data sovereignty, and the challenge of building safe and transparent AI systems. They explore how governments can manage risk while fostering innovation, how universities and industries must adapt to rapid change, and what it means for democracy and international stability as artificial intelligence becomes a driver of both progress and power.

Professor Adam Chalmers is an Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh, the CEO and Founder of Resonate AI, and a leading voice on the intersection of political economy, technology, and governance. He has advised governments and organizations on AI strategy and risk, and his work bridges academic research with practical solutions for emerging technologies.

Drawing on his research and field experience, Adam explains how AI is reshaping global politics, why public trust and ethical frameworks will define its future, and how democracies can respond to the rapidly evolving risks of the digital age.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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In the country’s north—specifically the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—torrential monsoon rains dropped 150 millimeters in under an hour. That’s six inches of rain, fast enough to overwhelm any drainage system. But here, it didn’t just flood streets—it destroyed entire communities. At least 700 people are dead. Over 100 are missing. And in Bishnoi village, 50% of all homes are gone—flattened or washed away.

This isn’t just bad weather. It’s a lethal convergence of natural vulnerability and systemic fragility: hilly terrain, deforestation, poor infrastructure, and collapsing governance capacity. Add climate change, and Pakistan—already one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations—is facing a catastrophe that’s becoming alarmingly routine.

On today’s episode of The International Risk Podcast, we’re not just discussing weather patterns. We’re talking about how extreme climate events are redrawing the map of risk—impacting state stability, migration flows, food security, and the future of regional cooperation.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Erum Sattar, LLB, LLM, SJD, a Pakistani legal scholar specialising in water law amidst global environmental and institutional challenges. She is a lecturer and former Program Director of the Sustainable Water Management Program at Tufts University in Boston. She holds degrees from Harvard Law School, Queen Mary University and the University of London. Dr Sattar is a Member of the Bar of England and Wales, as well as The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. Her interdisciplinary research examines the impact of water governance and transboundary water sharing on food production, livelihoods and migration, highlighting the legal and institutional adaptation structures required at a global level. She has an upcoming chapter on International Water Law and its history, application and future in Pakistan and is also co-editor of the upcoming The Cambridge Handbook of Islam and Environmental Law. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Doug is Senior Vice President at CenCore Group and a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Special Operations Command. He has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mali, and the Congo, and previously directed sensitive activities and irregular warfare at the Office of the Secretary of the Navy. He has also served as Senior Operations Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. A decorated officer, Doug has received the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star, and multiple Army Commendation Medals, including one for valor, and he holds both the Ranger and Special Forces tabs.

Doug brings deep expertise on special operations, irregular warfare, and national security, combining frontline military experience with high-level strategic advisory roles in Washington. His insights draw on years of work at the intersection of defense, geopolitics, and the private sector, helping audiences understand how authoritarian regimes are reshaping the global order and how democracies can respond.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Broderick McDonald is a Research Fellow at Kings College London’s XCEPT Research Programme and a Research Associate the Oxford Emerging Threats Group. Prior to this, he served as an Advisor to the Government of Canada and was a Fellow with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Broderick's writing and commentary has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Globe and Mail amongst others. Alongside his research, Broderick provides expert analysis for a range of international news broadcasters, including ABC News, BBC News, BBC America, CBC News, Good Morning America, France24, and Al Jazeera News.

Broderick currently serves on the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s (GIFCT) Independent Advisory Committee and the GLOCA Board of Advisors. He previously lived in the Middle East and has conducted extensive fieldwork with combatants from ISIS, HTS, and other armed groups. Alongside his research, Broderick has advised governments, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, international prosecutors, parliamentarians, AI Safety Institutes, frontier AI labs, and social media companies on security threats and emerging technologies.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Listeners will learn about the risks posed by fragile social contracts and youth unemployment, the uncertain futures of nationalism and populism in the region, how Gaza is influencing both leadership and public opinion in Arab capitals, and the opportunities for businesses as regional governments seek deeper economic integration. Shayan also shares her on-the-ground experiences traveling through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, providing rare insights into the realities citizens face and the optimism that still exists despite immense challenges

Shayan Talabany is a Senior Analyst and Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where she focuses on regional politics, security, and conflict dynamics across the Middle East, with particular expertise on Iraq and Syria. She holds degrees from SOAS, University of London, and the London School of Economics, and also serves as a faculty member with the Aspen Institute in the UK. At the Tony Blair Institute, she leads projects on governance reform, regional integration, and youth engagement, and she has traveled extensively across the Middle East conducting research and advising policymakers.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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The Indus Water Treaty has been called one of the world’s most successful peace agreements, surviving wars, nuclear standoffs, and decades of political hostility. But in April this year, India suspended the treaty after a terrorist attack in Kashmir, effectively threatening to choke off the lifeline of Pakistan’s agriculture and economy. For the first time in 65 years, the Indus—an ancient river system that sustains over 250 million people—has been turned into a tool of coercion.

This is more than a regional spat. It’s a live experiment in how climate stress, nationalism, and security fears can dismantle one of the last bastions of cooperation between nuclear rivals. And if water becomes a weapon here, what does it mean for other fragile river basins—the Nile, the Mekong, the Jordan—where upstream states already hold the cards?

Today, I’m joined by Professor Ashok Swain, UNESCO Chair on International Water Cooperation and Head of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. He has authored and edited 20 books and more than 150 journal articles, and he is also the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Environment and Security, published by Sage. He has also served as a consultant on environmental and development issues, advising various international organisations, including UN agencies, OCSE, NATO, EU, IISS, the Arab League and Oxfam, as well as the governments of Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Few people understand more about how rivers can both unite and divide nations. His work spans transboundary water politics, climate security, and conflict dynamics, and he has been one of the most vocal critics of India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

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Antoine Renaux is an Economic Intelligence & Geopolitics Analyst, his expertise lies in defence and security policy, economic intelligence, and geopolitical risk analysis. His career spans strategic intelligence, public affairs, and policy analysis roles across both public and private sectors, giving him a nuanced, operational understanding of complex international dynamics.

His key areas of expertise lie in:

• OSINT & competitive intelligence in the defense industry.
• Policy & geopolitical analysis, including diplomatic reporting at the French Embassy’s Military Representation in Austria.
• Event & project management, including contributions to high-profile initiatives such as the Warsaw Security Forum.

His approach combines precision, strategic insight, and actionable analysis to support decision-making in high-stakes environments. Motivated by a passion for strategy and security, I aim to contribute where analytical rigour, geopolitical awareness, and clear communication can make a decisive impact.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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• The government response to the protests
• The current situation in Belgrade
• What the Drivers are behind the Protest
• Government Manipulation
• Media Influence
• International Influence
• International Relations
• And much more!

Saša Dobrijević is an international journalist and reporter based in Belgrade. He is a seasoned journalist with experience in Munich in Berlin and Luxembourg, across geopolitics, social movements, and the green-energy transition. He’s covered protests up close, interviewed decision-makers, and understands how narratives harden, and how they break.

Saša is a Diplomatic Press Passport holder, an award-winning journalist, an International Journalist, and a public speaking coach. He started his career as a radio host at the state radio station, trained by experienced editors and journalists who graduated from the University of Political Sciences in Belgrade. Then he moved on to researching the TV industry. Where he found out that he is passionate about video production, interviews, TV packages, and live reporting.

His international career began in Munich, mostly reporting about geopolitical and social topics, and interviewing politicians and experts in various fields. He covered environmental and climate change topics, and innovations in green energy. Gained a unique experience, through reporting from protests in Munich, Bonn, Berlin, and Luxembourg.

Finally, Saša is the Co-Founder of Pulse Theatre, Society of free artists, and of the media portal Straight to the center.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan is the Founder and President of the One Health Trust and a Senior Research Scholar at Princeton University. He is also an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, and a Senior Associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Laxminarayan chairs the board of GARD-P, a global product development partnership created by the World Health Organization to develop and deliver new treatments for drug-resistant infections. He is also the founder and board chair of HealthCubed, which works to improve access to healthcare and diagnostics worldwide. Since 1995, he has been a leading global voice on antimicrobial resistance, bringing the issue to the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 and shaping health policy across Asia and Africa through the Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Professor Kimberly Clausing holds the Eric M. Zolt Chair in Tax Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law. Professor Clausing is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. During the first part of the Biden Administration, Clausing was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis in the US Department of the Treasury, serving as the lead economist in the Office of Tax Policy. Professor Clausing has published widely on taxation, climate policy, and international trade, and is the author of Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital (Harvard University Press, 2019). International Monetary Fund, the Hamilton Project, the Brookings Institution, the Tax Policy Center, and the Center for American Progress and has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions. She has received two Fulbright Research Awards, and her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the International Centre for Tax and Development, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strate

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Dr. Jamie Shea CMG is Professor at the College of Europe Natolin, Senior Fellow for security and defence at Friends of Europe, and Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre in Brussels. He is also Senior Counsel to the Founder and CEO of Fanack/The Chronicle and Fanack Water. Previously, Dr. Shea was Professor of Strategy and Security at the University of Exeter, and for 38 years he served as a member of NATO’s International Staff, holding senior positions including Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Director of Policy Planning, and NATO Spokesman. He has also taught at institutions including the College of Europe in Bruges, the University of Sussex, and the American University in Washington DC, and is a Senior Transatlantic Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and Associate Fellow at Chatham House.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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David Dunn is Professor of International Politics and Director of Internationalisation for the College of Social Science at the University of Birmingham. David holds a MSc in International Studies and has a PhD in War Studies. He has diverse research interests that fit largely within the areas of US foreign and security policy, strategic and security studies, and diplomacy and statecraft. He has written extensively on the use of force, transatlantic relations and summit diplomacy. He has also published on the security impact of drone technology. His most recent book, co-authored with Nicholas J. Wheeler is: Drones, Force and Law: European Perspectives (Elements in International Relations) and came out in Jan 2024. Finally, David writes articles for the Conversation. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Currently, she serves as an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She has provided advisory services to policymakers, US and European donors, regional actors, UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations. Nadwa is regularly featured as a guest speaker on panel discussions about Yemen and the broader Middle East and her work has been widely published by the top think tanks in the United States and Europe.

In her previous roles, Nadwa served as a senior conflict advisor to the World Food Program, a Yemen country director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the founding director at Partners Yemen, a MENA advisor at Partners Global, and a senior program manager at the National Democratic Institute.

Nadwa’s research focuses on conflict in Yemen, drawing connections to broader geopolitical dynamics in the Middle East. She examines the impact of US foreign policy, internationally-led peace efforts, counterterrorism, and aid on stability and security amid the rise of non-state armed actors and the evolving proxy warfare landscape in the region.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Yaroslav Lissovolik worked in the International Monetary Fund, in Washington, where he was Advisor to the Executive Director for the Russian Federation (2001–2004). In 2004 he joined Deutsche Bank as Chief Economist and became Head of Company Research in Russia in 2009, and then a member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank in Russia in 2011. In 2015–2018 Yaroslav Lissovolik was Chief Economist and subsequently Managing Director of Research and Member of the Management Board at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). From 2018 to 2022 he has been Senior Managing Director — Head of Research at Sberbank Investment Research (CIB). In 2023 he founded BRICS+ Analytics to conduct in-depth research on the future trajectories of BRICS+ development.   

Yaroslav Lissovolik graduated from Harvard University (magna cum laude) with a BA degree in Economics, and received an MSc in Economics degree from the London School of Economics (LSE). He also received his PhD degree in Economics from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations (MGIMO, red diploma) and a Doctorate in Economics from the Diplomatic Academy. Yaroslav Lissovolik is also a member of Bretton Woods Committee.  He has published several books and numerous papers on Russia’s entry into the WTO, BRICS and other economic policy issues.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk b

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Audrye Wong is Jeane Kirkpatrick Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and assistant professor of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California. 

Her research covers China’s economic statecraft, including a book forthcoming with Oxford University Press, as well as China's foreign influence activities and propaganda campaigns. Her work has been supported by the Smith Richardson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense, among others. Audrye received a PhD in Security Studies from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow. She has held affiliations with the Wilson Center, Brookings Institution, Harvard’s Belfer Center, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Katzman is a Senior Advisor at the Soufan Group and a Senior Fellow at the Soufan Center, positions he assumed after retiring in late 2022 from his longtime position as a Senior Middle East Analyst at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). He is also a Senior Research Advisor at the Global Insights Group’s Strategic Analysis and Situational Awareness Group. During his CRS career specialising on Iran, U.S. sanctions on Iran, the Arab Gulf states, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran-backed regional armed groups, Katzman provided analysis and advice to members of Congress through tailored reports and briefings. On about a dozen occasions, he has testified before various Committees and Subcommittees of Congress. He also participated in numerous congressional delegations to the region at the Member and staff level. During 1996 and again during July 2001 - March 2002, he was assigned to the majority staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to work on Middle East issues, organizing hearings and helping to draft legislation such as the Iran Sanctions Act (1996).

As a well-known expert on the region, Dr. Katzman has delivered numerous presentations and briefings at conferences and meetings in Washington as well as throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. In 1998, he wrote expert working papers on the ballistic missile capabilities of Iran and Iraq for the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States ("Rumsfeld Commission"). In late 1999, and again in 2010, the Atlantic Council published his detailed monographs on U.S. sanctions on Iran. During his CRS career and since retiring, Katzman has been quoted frequently on the region and appeared in many regional media, including Al Jazeera, Al Hurra, Al Arabiya, Asharq News, Al Arabiy, and Al Ghad TV. He has authored articles for organizations including The Atlantic Council, the Gulf International Forum, the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, and the Arab Center D.C. He has served on several think-tank working groups and been a consultant to several corporations.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s busi

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Dominic and Assem Dandashly discuss the paradox of aid and conflict, the reality on the ground in Gaza, the Western (and international) hypocrisy and what the inevitable consequences are of this hypocrisy, the role of Western democracies, the full erosion of International Law and Human Rights, and more...

Assem Dandashly is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at Maastricht University. He is an expert on the EU-MENA relations. Prior to joining Maastricht University in September 2012, Assem was a Research Fellow at the Kolleg-Forschergruppe “The Transformative Power of Europe” Freie Universität Berlin. Assem holds a PhD in Political Science (2012) from the University of Victoria, BC Canada.

Prior to moving to Berlin, Assem was a Research Associate at the Centre for Competition policy at the University of East Anglia. He was also a research assistant and sessional instructor at the University of Victoria. In 2008-2009, Assem was a visiting researcher at the Economic University of Krakow in Poland and the Central European University in Budapest. Before moving to Victoria, Assem was a Fulbright Graduate Student at Marquette University, Wisconsin-USA.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and a partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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They discuss the episodes of: Mauro Lubrano, Rik Peels, Sander van der Linden, Dr. Allysa Czerwinsky, and Aaron Winter. 

Dominic Bowen is an experienced business leader and corporate advisor at Europe's leading risk management consultancy. Dominic supports business leaders, boards, and executives make informed management decisions. With 20 years’ experience specialising in strategy development, organisational resilience, risk management, business continuity, and crisis response he leads and manages global risk-remediation across various industries and sectors. He has helped teams around the world plan for and respond to high-impact events, including cross-border crises, change management, natural disasters, and geopolitical turmoil. He has supported organisations design and implement operational resilience programs and enterprise risk management frameworks.

Moreover, Dominic is the host and CEO of The International Risk Podcast. He has a Diploma in Public Safety, a Diploma in Security and Risk Management, a Diploma of Management, a Master's Degree in International Relations, and currently finalising a Master of International Law.

Elisa Garbil is the Podcast Producer and Investigative Research Lead at The International Risk Podcast, where she leads on strategic editorial direction, in-depth research, and high-level stakeholder engagement. 

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. 

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Jones is a Senior Fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology and the Center for Asia Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution. His research focuses on U.S. strategy, international order, and great power relations, and he has extensive experience in international security policy. Dr. Jones has significant expertise in intervention and crisis management. He served in the United Nations’ operation in Kosovo and was special assistant to the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and a partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security in Political Science and International Studies, at the University of Birmingham. A political scientist by background, he specialises in the management of contemporary security challenges, especially in the prevention and settlement of ethnic conflicts, in post-conflict state-building in deeply divided and war-torn societies, and in contemporary geopolitics and great-power rivalry. Wolff has extensive expertise in the post-Soviet space and has also worked on a wide range of other conflicts elsewhere, including in the Middle East and North Africa, in Central Asia, and in sub-Saharan Africa. 

With almost three decades of experience in UK higher education, Wolff has a publication record that includes almost 100 journal articles and book chapters, as well as 20 books. He is the founding editor of Ethnopolitics, co-founder of Navigating the Vortex, and a regular international affairs contributor to The Conversation. 

Bridging the divide between academia and policymaking, Wolff regularly advises governments and international organisations and has been involved in various phases of conflict settlement processes, including in the disputed territories in Iraq, in Transnistria and Gagauzia (Moldova), in Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen. 

Wolff holds degrees from the University of Leipzig (Erstes Staatsexamen), the University of Cambridge (M.Phil.), and the LSE (Ph.D.).

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and a partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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They unpack the paradox: over 40 percent of cancers are preventable, yet only 5 percent of global cancer funding goes to prevention. From air pollution and pesticides to trade deals and workplace standards, they examine how commercial incentives and political short-termism continue to undercut basic prevention measures, and how these choices quietly externalise cancer risks across borders.

As cancer risk increasingly mirrors patterns of inequality, Joachim reflects on the intersecting roles of governments, multinationals, and international institutions in addressing the social, occupational, and environmental conditions that shape who gets sick, who gets treatment, and who is left behind.

Dr. Joachim Schüz is the Head of the Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization’s leading cancer research body. With over three decades of experience, he has played a central role in mapping the links between environmental exposures, structural injustice, and cancer incidence. His work challenges us to rethink cancer prevention not only as a public good, but as a question of long-term strategy, international responsibility, and ethical governance.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and a partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Petra Verdonk is an occupational health psychologist who earned her PhD in 2007 at Radboud UMC in Nijmegen with the dissertation Gender Matters in Medical Education. Most recently, she founded her own agency, Beyond Boundary, where she works at the intersection of gender, intersectionality, health, and the climate crisis.

Her research and teaching focus on the critical analysis and implementation of gender and diversity in health and care. Moreover, Petra oversees scientific quality and anchoring of Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies, advising editors and identifying relevant developments in feminist theorising and gender studies.

Petra co-founded the Dutch Society for Gender & Health (NVG&G), where she still serves as secretary, and chaired Stichting WAHO, an organisation advocating for young women with work disabilities (2001–2007). She was also a board member of the Women’s Union (FNV Vrouw, 2008–2016). Finally, as a climate activist with Extinction Rebellion, she co-founded the Dutch community XR Zorgprofessionals. At VU University, she successfully campaigned to end research collaborations with the fossil fuel industry.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and a partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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• They discuss the challenges and opportunities AI brings
• What AI's role could be
• How AI can enhance security
• Predictive maintenance and it's strategic importance
• Global security
• Tempest OS
• Nuclear deterrence
• and more!

Zac Staples is a former U.S. Navy officer and the founder and CEO of Fathom5, an industrial defence-technology company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Since 2018 he has led Fathom5 to uninterrupted growth and profitability. Zac and the Fathom5 team are building Brilliant Machines with new actuators, cyber resilient designs, and AI optimization. Among the company’s many accomplishments are the first program of record deployment of AI aboard a Navy warship, 17 fully awarded patents for actuator and cybersecurity technologies, and several examples of accelerating defense innovation.

Before launching Fathom5, Zac served in the U.S. Navy for over two decades. His career of shipboard service culminated in Zac's selection as the Secretary of the Navy’s 2017 “Innovation Catalyst” award winner for pioneering efforts to develop new digital and cyber capabilities. His background steers Fathom5's vision toward tactical edge use cases for defence innovation.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Together, they examine how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deeper ethical fault lines - from donor-driven influence at the World Health Organization to the contested politics of pathogen access and benefit sharing. As global health is increasingly entangled with national security and data control, they also reflect on the role of private tech firms, AI, and cyber threats in reshaping public health governance. This conversation is essential listening for anyone concerned with global health equity, digital sovereignty, and the future of multilateral cooperation.

Dr. Abha Saxena is one of the world’s leading experts in global bioethics and a renowned anaesthesiologist. Formerly head of global health ethics at the World Health Organization, she continues to advise research consortia, ethics committees, and governments on the intersections of science, sovereignty, and strategy. Her work spans the ethics of infectious disease outbreaks, equitable data sharing, and the risks of technological dependency in fragile health systems. She has been at the forefront of efforts to build more inclusive and just global health architectures, and continues to advocate for frameworks that foreground ethics, transparency, and global solidarity.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Allysa Czerwinsky (she/her) is a Research Fellow in AI Trust and Security and recently earned her PhD from the University of Manchester. Her research explores how male supremacism and misogynist extremism manifest in digital environments, accounting for the complex interplays between technology, harm, and violence. Her doctoral work traces the narratives present in stories shared to several incel-focused forums, uncovering how these stories help legitimise harm and provide additional knowledge about potential pathways into and out of inceldom. Alongside this, she’s interested in ethical approaches to conducting research in public-facing online spaces, and adopts a reflexive intersectional feminist praxis in her work.

The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe's business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Will Tear is the Director at Pattison Shepley Ruvolo. He has focused on international recruitment for over 18 years in the areas of Immigration, Global Mobility and International Reward. His aim is to work with firms as their strategic talent partner with a view to providing the best in class candidate rather than the best available.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe’s top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic’s 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dr. Rik Peels is a Professor in Philosophy and Theology of Radicalisation at the Faculty of Humanities at the Free University of Amsterdam. Rik specialises in the ethics and epistemology of belief, in particular extreme belief, and replication in the humanities. He has developed a theory of responsible belief, studied ignorance, criticised scientism and developed a common sense alternative, explored the ethics of religious belief, and delved into the epistemic responsibilities of universities. He is currently leading an ERC Starting Grant named "Extreme Beliefs: The Epistemology and Ethics of Fundamentalism" (2020-2025)

Among his most recent books are Ignorance (OUP 2023) and Monotheism and Fundamentalism (CUP 2024). He is the main editor of the OUP Extreme Belief and Behaviour Series (2024-2026). Among his most recent books in Dutch are: De extremist en de wetenschapper: Hoe we radicalisering beter kunnen begrijpen (Amsterdam 2024) and Leven zonder God: Wat je kunt leren van atheïsten (Utrecht 2024). His most recent monograph is Responsible Belief: A Theory in Ethics and Epistemology (Oxford University Press, 2017). He edited Moral and Social Perspectives on Ignorance (Routledge, 2017), and co-edited The Epistemic Dimensions of Ignorance (Cambridge University Press, 2016), Scientism: A Philosophical Exposition and Evaluation (Oxford University Press, 2018), and The Cambridge Companion to Common Sense Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2020). He published over 50 articles in such journals as Nature, Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and The Journal of Philosophy. He also regularly publishes opinion pieces in newspapers, does radio and television interviews, and engages in public debates on several issues in ethics and the philosophy of religion.

Finally, Rik is one of the few academics fusing philosophy, theology, and psychology to explain the architecture of radicalisation.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dominic and Victoria examine how the growing entanglement between state power and commercial space actors is reshaping global norms. They discuss the challenges posed by the monopolisation of low Earth orbit, the blurred boundaries between public infrastructure and private control, and the risks of regulatory fragmentation. Starlink, as a prominent example, illustrates how a commercial platform can evolve into a geopolitical actor — raising urgent questions about accountability, access, and influence in orbit.

Victoria shares insights on the vulnerabilities of relying on a single private actor for global connectivity, particularly in times of crisis and disaster. She warns of the risks posed to democratic sovereignty, equitable access, and orbital sustainability when commercial dominance outpaces international regulation. The conversation also highlights Latin America's growing role in space, Chile’s forward-leaning defense strategy, and the urgent need for multilateral rules to prevent future orbital conflicts.

Victoria Valdivia Cerda is a Global Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute and lectures on space policy at Chile’s National Academy of Strategic and Political Studies. She has contributed to Chile’s national defense whitepapers and is a rising voice in international space governance, calling for smarter, more inclusive policymaking in orbit.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe’s top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies. With over 20 years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his roles as a public speaker and university lecturer, Dominic is uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organizations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Our guest, Abbee McLatchie, Director of Youth Work and the Deputy CEO at National Youth Agency, joins us to discuss why youth work isn’t just a social service - it’s a frontline defence against future crises. From community cohesion to countering radicalisation and addressing structural poverty, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Abbee McLatchie is the Director of Youth Work and the Deputy CEO at National Youth Agency.  As Director of Youth Work, Abbee McLatchie leads on the development of professional standards; training and development; the National Youth Work Curriculum; as well as quality and safeguarding frameworks. Abbee has worked with young people through youth work since the 1990s in a range of environments from social care, to housing and homelessness services. She is particularly passionate about creating more access to identity and issue-based youth work that allows young people to use lived experiences to create social change for themselves and others.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Dominic and Professor Shea unpack the surge of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, the strategic responses of global powers including China, the United States, France, and Gulf states, and the regional and global ramifications of these disruptions. They explore the risks of unintended escalation in this vital maritime corridor, the impact on 12% of global trade, the challenges of countering non-state actors, the evolving nature of hybrid warfare, and the fragility of maritime security norms. From asymmetric threats to the pressures on the global commons, this episode examines the complex dynamics threatening one of the world’s most critical trade routes and the potential for broader geopolitical fallout.

Jamie Shea is a globally recognized authority on security and strategy, with 38 years at NATO, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. He currently holds senior positions at prominent European think tanks, providing unparalleled insights into global security, maritime strategy, and geopolitical risks. His extensive experience includes shaping NATO’s response to emerging threats, from piracy to hybrid warfare.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe’s top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies. With over 20 years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his roles as a public speaker and university lecturer, Dominic is uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organizations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Joseph Daher is a Swiss-Syrian academic and activist. He currently teaches at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and at the University of Ghent (Belgium) and has been an affiliated professor at the European University Institute(EUI). He has worked with the EUI on the conflict in Syria and the aftermath of the war. Herewith Joseph has published multiple papers, which aimed to produce quality, strategic and accurate reports and analysis of wartime perspectives, challenges, trends and policy options in anticipation of post-conflict stabilisation in Syria.

Moreover, Joseph is an expert on Syria, Lebanon, and the Middle East, and has worked for various UN Agencies, NGO’s and research centers in consulting and expert mandates to conduct programs, trainings, and research for them. He is the author of three books: Hezbollah: The Political Economy of Lebanon’s Party of God, Syria After the Uprising: The Political Economy of State Resilience and Palestine and Marxism . Finally, he is the founder of the blog Syria Freedom Forever. He is also co-founder of the Alliance of Middle Eastern and North African Socialists.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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The rise of AI coinciding with the rise and intensification of global crises shows a surgence of groups who want to dismantle the technological system as we know it today. It raises the question as to whether anti-technology extremism has the potential to become a significant driver of political violence. In our conversation with Mauro today, we hope to gain an insight on Anti-Technology Extremism. He recently published a new book Stop the Machines: The Rise of Anti-Technology Extremism which discusses this topic. 

Mauro's PhD thesis and more recent works examine the processes of terrorist innovation, seeking to understand the rationale and dynamics of operational and strategic changes in terrorist organisations. His most recent project has embarked on a systematic analysis of organisational dynamics in horizontal and ‘leaderless’ terrorist networks, looking at how ‘informal’ leaders manage to provide operational guidance and inspiration in decentralised settings. Mauro’s work has been published in multiple leading journals, including Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, and Perspectives on Terrorism, and he has collaborated with several think tanks and public institutions across Europe and the USA.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

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Almudena Azcárate Ortega is the lead Space Security Researcher at UNIDIR and an Academic Fellow at Georgetown University, where she is pursuing her doctorate in space security law. She led UNIDIR’s participation in the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats and holds an LL.M. in National Security Law from Georgetown and an LL.B. from the University of Navarra.

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe’s top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic’s 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn  and Instagram for all our great updates.

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Drawing on decades of firsthand experience, from every NPT Review Conference since 1995 to advising the United Nations, Dr. Potter walks us through critical developments including Russia’s nuclear signaling, China’s evolving posture, and the destabilizing potential of non-state actors. From radiological weapons to AI-enabled crisis simulations, this conversation highlights how fragile the global nuclear architecture has become, and what it will take to rebuild trust and transparency.

Dr. William Potter is the Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Professor of Nonproliferation Studies and Founding Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at MIIS. He has served on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and participated in every major NPT negotiation since 1995. He is the author or editor of over 20 books, including his latest: Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs.

Related Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Book: Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs (Stanford Universityi Press, 2023).

The International Risk Podcast is a must-listen for senior executives, board members, and risk advisors. This weekly podcast dives deep into international relations, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, Head of Strategic Advisory at one of Europe's top risk consulting firms, the podcast brings together global experts to share insights and actionable strategies.

Dominic's 20+ years of experience managing complex operations in high-risk environments, combined with his role as a public speaker and university lecturer, make him uniquely positioned to guide these conversations. From conflict zones to corporate boardrooms, he explores the risks shaping our world and how organisations can navigate them.

The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.

Follow us on LinkedIn  and Instagram for all our great updates.

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly briefs.

Tell us what you liked!