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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Vinay Lal about the youth-led protests sweeping India and what they mean for the future of the world’s largest democracy.
The discussion examines how the “Cockroach Janta Party”, a movement that began as an online joke, has grown into a serious challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. 

The conversation explores:
 -The controversy over the removal of 130 million names from India’s voter lists
-What is happening in India, and how an insult from India’s Chief Justice sparked a youth movement
-The two waves of protest: from leaked exam papers to the fairness of India’s elections
-How protesters are drawing on Gandhi and nonviolence

Vinay Lal is Professor of History and Asian American Studies at UCLA. He writes widely on Indian history and politics, nationalism, colonialism, human rights, and the history of Gandhi and nonviolence. He is the author or editor of around 20 books, including Political Hinduism and The History of History: Politics and Scholarship in Modern India, and is a regular public commentator on Indian affairs.
 
The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world. 

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#Geopolitics #India #Modi #Democracy #Protests #GenZ #Elections #SouthAsia #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy #HumanRights

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Global markets are sending some extraordinary signals right now with guaranteed borrowing costs surging. Bond yields at their highest levels that we haven't seen in decades and geopolitical tensions that honestly are starting to reshape some capital flows. But what does this mean for the world? What does it mean for the markets, for the world's safest bonds and for global risk as this is going on? 

In this episode Dominic sits down with Ka Lok (Steve) Wong, a macroeconomist at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The conversation starts at borrowing costs and its implications for the international economy, and spans into oil prices, market confidence, and potential economic shocks on our horizons. 

But the conversation isn't purely economic. The discussion goes further. Delving into topics such as the African Premium, a possible AI bubble, and whether the middle class is necessity, Ka Lok's expansive knowledge on emerging economies makes for an enlightening listen. With this in mind: 

When does the AI investment boom stop creating value and start destroying capital? And what is the bond market actually warning us about?

Ka Lok Wong's Research is provided below:

1. Emerging Economies borrowing patterns at the higher expected US interest rates - https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grag025 
2. African Domestic Market Development - https://cepr.org/publications/dp20747
3. Africa's Domestic Debt: Balancing Resilience and Vulnerability (in BIS Editorial preparation, no public link yet) with Michael Chui, Leonardo Gambacorta, Ugo Panizza, and Niccolò Rescia ; for the risk shifting in African sovereign borrowing

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Almost two years after the fall of the Assad regime, where is Syria heading? In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, producer and researcher Andrea Crafoord-Wiklund flips the script and interviews regular host Dominic Bowen, who joins from Damascus after a week of meetings with Syrian government ministries.
Dominic shares what he is seeing on the ground, from the professionalization of the police to rebuilt roads, and explains why the gap between a quick revolution and a long rebuilding process is the biggest misperception abroad.

In this episode:
- Why Syria is still a high-risk environment despite looking calm and inviting
- President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s leadership and the role of the transitional parliament
- Israeli incursions, regional rivalries and who has gained or lost influence
- Whether conditions are ready for large-scale refugee returns
- The reality of reconstruction, with an estimated $216 billion needed
- What investors and businesses should know about risk and opportunity
- Why Syria matters for European security, migration policy and counterterrorism

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:35 Perception versus reality on the ground
02:29 Security situation today
04:18 Ahmed al-Sharaa as interim president
07:18 Inclusion and elections
09:38 Western warming and sanctions relief
12:14 Israel’s role in Syria
14:17 Turkey, Russia, Iran, the Gulf and the US
18:20 How ordinary Syrians are coping
21:03 Refugee returns
23:41 Reconstruction and investment opportunities
26:20 Why Syria matters globally
27:57 Lessons on risk and leadership
31:34 Syria’s future over the next five to ten years

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.

#Syria #Damascus #InternationalRisk #Geopolitics #MiddleEast #SyriaReconstruction #RiskManagement #ForeignPolicy #InternationalRelations #InternationalRiskPodcast

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What is at stake in the upcoming US Midterms? In this episode, Dominic Bowen sits down with Marquita Bradshaw, the Democratic nominee for the US Senate Elections on November 3rd. The conversation spans what challenges working people within the USA are currently facing, what change is necessary for Americans, and the dynamics within the political system today. 

It is clear there is a loss of faith. Marquita talks about her experiences engaging with voters, hearing their stories, and how this currently drives her priorities along her campaign trail. With rocketing fuel prices, concerned business owners, and a minimum wage that is flailing in the wake of climbing inflation, Marquita outlines how current injustices within the economy and prioritised status for certain interest groups is not serving the ordinary American. 

The discussion delves into how environmental justice applies to the political dynamics we are seeing today in America, and how domestic policy is crucial to fix in order to regain a stable USA internationally. Recounting her history as an environmental activist, her source of inspiration to fight for change, and the importance of community, Marquita’s focus is unapathetic and hopeful for shifting the tide in Congress. Is it possible? Share your views in the comments.

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.

Subscribe for expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Sophie Schmalenberger about the AfD’s historic result in the Saxony-Anhalt state election and what it means for Germany’s political future. 

The discussion examines what is driving the party’s rise, particularly in eastern Germany, and whether Germany’s postwar “firewall” against the far right can still hold. It also explores how the AfD uses history and emotion to build support, and what a stronger AfD could mean for Germany’s role in the EU.

The conversation explores:
-What the AfD is, where it came from, and what it stands for
-What the Saxony-Anhalt result means, and how Germany got here
-How memory and emotion have shaped the AfD’s appeal
-Whether the “firewall” against cooperating with the far right is still working

Dr. Sophie Schmalenberger is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Her research focuses on the German New Right, particularly the communication and mobilization strategies of the AfD, and how the party uses memory politics and emotion to build support. She holds a PhD from Aarhus University, where her dissertation examined how the AfD constructs identity and memory.

The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare.

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world.

Further reading: 
Dr. Sophie Schmalenberger’s open access book chapter, which looks at the far right’s strategic reinterpretation of the German past: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111588551-022/html

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#Geopolitics #Germany #AfD #FarRight #Europe #Democracy #Russia #Ukraine #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy #Extremism

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More than five years after the Taliban returned to power, millions of Afghan women and girls remain shut out of education, work and public life, while governments around the world are quietly normalising relations with Kabul.

In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen speaks with Shaharzad Akbar, former chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and founder of Rawadari, an organisation documenting Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability from exile.

Shaharzad shares her journey from a childhood of displacement and refugee life in Pakistan to Smith College and Oxford, and back to Kabul. She explains what daily life looks like for women and girls inside Afghanistan today, how they are finding creative ways to keep learning and working despite the risks, and why the world’s growing willingness to engage with the Taliban is so dangerous.

In this episode:

• Shaharzad’s story: growing up displaced, and her parents’ commitment to education
• Life for Afghan women and girls today: the mental health crisis, forced early marriage and secret classrooms
• How women are working around Taliban restrictions, and the risks they face
• Why geopolitical interests are overtaking human rights, including Russia’s recognition of the Taliban
• Her experience as a delegate in the Doha talks and the Taliban’s PR strategy
• The economic and social cost of an entire generation of girls shut out of education
• Understanding the Taliban’s worldview and why they fear educated women
• Access to healthcare and justice for women, including domestic violence
• How the Taliban’s legal and enforcement machinery has developed into what Shaharzad calls a gender apartheid system
• Whether the Taliban’s impunity is emboldening other countries and extremist groups
• What business leaders, governments and listeners can actually do to help
• The international risks that concern Shaharzad most: misinformation, climate change and the erosion of 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 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.
Subscribe for expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

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What happens when voters hear promises about cheaper living — but see their government focused elsewhere? Dominic Bowen puts that question to international pollster Alex Tarascio of Cygnal in episode #405 of The International Risk Podcast. Their conversation examines voter frustration, the US #midterm #elections and the gap between political headlines and the choices people make at the ballot box. They explore shifts in the Republican coalition, the politics of the cost of living and Iran, what interest in socialism tells us about younger voters, and why strong support does not always translate into turnout. Dominic also asks how leaders should judge polling evidence and why data centres have become a source of local political tension. 

What matters more in an election: convincing people to switch sides, or getting your supporters to turn out? Share your view in the comments.

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.

Subscribe for expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

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Sweden's voters handed the centre-left opposition a win by just three seats, 176 to 173, and yet no one can form a government. The Sweden Democrats lost ground at the ballot box, but they may still hold the key to what happens next. With investors, NATO allies and Ukraine supporters watching closely, this is a stress test for one of Europe's steadiest democracies.

Host Dominic Bowen is joined by Anders Sannerstedt, a political scientist at Lund University who studies the Sweden Democrats, local elections and Swedish party politics. Together they unpack why winning an election doesn't guarantee governing, and what happens if the parties can't break the deadlock.

In this episode:
- Why the opposition is four parties that aren't natural partners, from the Left Party to the Centre Party
- How the Sweden Democrats evolved from their white supremacist roots into a right-wing populist party, and why they lost ground this time
- The economy, healthcare and gang violence as the issues that shaped the vote
- The urban-rural divide and why the Sweden Democrats do well in small towns and the south
- What would change under a left versus a right government, particularly on climate policy
- Why foreign and defence policy, including NATO and support for Ukraine, is unlikely to shift
- Anders's biggest international risk concerns: Russia and climate 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 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.
Subscribe for expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

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Before you let ChatGPT or Claude influence your next business decision, ask yourself: are you trusting the evidence or how convincing the answer sounds?

Dominic Bowen joins AI researcher Herbert Roitblat, author of Algorithms Are Not Enough, to examine what business leaders should demand from artificial intelligence, and where human judgment remains essential.

Drawing on his experience as a senior management consultant, Dominic explains why telling a client “I’m not confident yet” can be more valuable than delivering a polished answer. Together, they explore how to challenge AI outputs, identify useful applications and measure whether the technology is actually improving your business.

In this conversation:
• Why confident AI answers still need scrutiny
• What leaders should automate—and where people add value
• How to distinguish AI adoption from meaningful business improvement
• Why critical thinking and systems thinking matter
• How to stay professionally valuable as AI changes work
• The privacy and infrastructure risks behind the technology

What would you never delegate to AI and why? Tell us in the comments.

CHAPTERS
00:00 AI strategy and the leadership challenge
01:08 Are we overestimating AI?
02:15 Dominic challenges the token-guesser argument
03:52 What should an AI-first business automate?
05:54 Where human judgment adds value
08:18 Building a business around better information
10:43 Trust, evidence and reliable outputs
12:37 Confidence is not critical thinking
15:01 Knowledge work and defending your value
18:48 Designing useful AI workflows
20:10 What separates AI value from wasted spending?
22:45 Learning and systems thinking
24:53 Privacy, infrastructure and international risk
27:00 Closing reflections

Listen to and follow The International Risk Podcast

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.
Subscribe for expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

#ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Geopolitics #AI

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Sarah Logan about the global race to secure Africa's critical minerals. The discussion examines how China, the US, and Europe are positioning themselves in this race, and whether African countries can move beyond simply hosting the competition. It also explores why refining is the real choke point in this race, and why China's head start there now gives it a durable structural advantage.

The conversation explores:
-What critical minerals are, where they're found, and why demand is only accelerating
-Why China is so far ahead, and why refining remains the West's biggest challenge
-Whether African and European manufacturing ambitions can align
-Whether this rivalry actually benefits African countries

Sarah Logan is a lawyer and economist with over 15 years of experience in mining and energy policy across Africa. She is a Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and author of the African Extracts Substack.

TListen to and follow The International Risk Podcast

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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#Geopolitics #CriticalMinerals #Africa #China #UnitedStates #Europe #Mining #Cobalt #Lithium #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy #EconomicSecurity

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In this episode, Dominic sits down with Dr. Maryanne Wolf, a cognitive neuroscientist at UCLA who has spent her career studying what she calls "the reading brain." Maryanne explains why reading doesn't come naturally to us the way language or vision does. It's a skill the brain has to build, circuit by circuit, and one that can atrophy if we stop exercising it.

The numbers are stark. Nearly a third of American adults score at the lowest level of literacy. Fourth grade reading scores are at a two decade low. Eighth graders are performing worse than they have in four decades. And it isn't just a US problem. Countries around the world are seeing similar declines.

Maryanne argues that these statistics are symptoms of something deeper: a shift away from what she calls "deep reading," the slow process that builds background knowledge, inference, empathy and critical thinking. She shares her own unexpected experience of realising her brain had changed after struggling to reread a novel she once loved, and what she did to rebuild that capacity.

The conversation also digs into AI tools, audiobooks and podcasts, and what neuroscience is starting to reveal about "cognitive surrender," the growing reliance on technology to do our thinking for us. Maryanne makes the case that this isn't a minor cultural shift. It's a battle for how future generations will think, reason and govern themselves.

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 International Risk Podcast with Tzvi Gottlieb

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Tzvi Gottlieb examine the intersection of war, politics and national security in Israel, asking how domestic political pressures are shaping decisions over Iran, Gaza and the wider Middle East. From Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future and Israel’s confrontation with Iran to the resilience of Israeli democratic institutions and the country’s increasingly strained relationship with the United States, the conversation explores the strategic risks facing Israel at a pivotal moment for the country and the region.

We discuss:
- Whether Israeli domestic politics are influencing decisions over war and national security
- Israel’s confrontation with Iran and what “finishing the job” could realistically mean
- Why regime change in Iran would be extraordinarily difficult to achieve
- Benjamin Netanyahu’s political incentives and the approaching Israeli elections
- The resilience of Israel’s democratic and political institutions
- How Israeli politics have changed during Netanyahu’s long period in power
- The relationship between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump
- Why changing American attitudes towards Israel could pose a major strategic risk
- Whether Israel risks weakening its most important international relationship
- Gaza, the West Bank and the prospects for a two-state solution
- The political power of Israel’s settler movement and changing Israeli demographics
- How the conflict could reshape the balance of power across the Middle East
- What Israel and the wider region could look like five years from now

About the guest:
Tzvi Gottlieb is a political consultant and former communications director for the Israeli government. He is also a former Arab affairs correspondent for Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) and a former lobbyist for Shatil – The New Israel Fund. He has written for Haaretz, Globes and other Israeli media outlets, and brings extensive experience across Israeli politics, government, media and public affairs.

About the host:
Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

See more at www.theinternationalriskpodcast.com

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In Episode 399 of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic and Craig examine the real economics of artificial intelligence: how CFOs should measure AI returns, when automation becomes job displacement, why agentic workflows are changing competitive advantage, and how AI is becoming a geopolitical and governance challenge.

They discuss:
- How CFOs can distinguish durable AI value from hype
- Why some companies are cutting headcount while others avoid new hiring
- The shift from AI experimentation to operational agentic workflows
- Competition and regulation across the United States, Europe and China
- How professionals can future-proof their careers
- Mass employment change, taxation and pressure on the middle class
- Who captures the profits when machines replace human work
- Shrinking business moats, talent risk and AI dependency
- Defence, data centres, energy, water and international risk

What concerns you most: job displacement, concentrated profits, weak governance or geopolitical competition? Share your view in the comments.

Listen to and follow The International Risk Podcast

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.

Craig Unsworth is a Portfolio Chief Product Officer and senior adviser who works with private-equity firms and their portfolio companies. His work focuses on product strategy, transformation, growth and agentic AI.
Craig's website: https://www.craigunsworth.com/

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 expert conversations on geopolitics, security, economics, conflict, resilience and global affairs.

Podcast Chapters
00:00 AI value, jobs and risk
00:22 How CFOs should measure AI returns
01:50 AI productivity, layoffs and fewer new hires
04:14 From experiments to agentic workflows
06:14 AI geopolitics: America, Europe and China
08:39 How to future-proof your career
11:07 The AI tools and workflows leaders overlook
14:57 The cost of waiting to adopt AI
18:47 Who captures the gains from automation?
23:14 Who should govern AI?
23:34 Shrinking business moats and hidden risks
26:27 Defence, resources and data-centre risk
29:08 The leadership skills businesses need now
29:46 Closing thoughts

#ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Geopolitics #AI

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In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Simeon de Brouwer, policy advisor at European Digital Rights (EDRi), Europe’s largest network of digital rights organisations. Simeon explains the controversial EU proposal known as “Chat Control” and explores what mandatory scanning of private communications could mean for encryption, privacy, security and child protection across Europe.

We discuss:

• What the EU’s Chat Control proposal would actually require messaging and hosting platforms to scan for child sexual abuse material and grooming
• Why scanning everyone’s private communications raises fundamental questions about the presumption of innocence and proportionality
• How client-side scanning could affect end-to-end encryption on services such as WhatsApp and Signal
• The risks of false positives, including innocent communications being flagged, accounts being suspended and private material being reviewed by authorities
• Why mass scanning could create opportunities for “function creep”, allowing surveillance infrastructure introduced for child protection to be expanded to terrorism, organised crime or political dissent
• Why encryption is essential not only for ordinary users, but also for journalists, human rights defenders and businesses
• How criminals can adapt their behaviour to evade automated detection, potentially leaving the most sophisticated perpetrators beyond the reach of the technology
• The tension between privacy and child safety, and why EDRi argues that the two do not have to be mutually exclusive
• What alternative approaches could better protect children online, including addressing how platforms enable adults to find and contact young people
• Where negotiations over Chat Control currently stand, and what could happen as the European Parliament, Council and European Commission continue negotiations
• Why Simeon is concerned about Europe’s broader push to simplify digital regulation, and the risk that weakening protections in the name of innovation could ultimately create new security and privacy 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 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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In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Dr. Holly Bell, economist, former professor and academic administrator at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and author of the geopolitical novel Occupied Alaska. Holly shares the real events that inspired her book, drawing on her own work opposing a proposed $43 billion Chinese-backed gas pipeline deal in Alaska, and explains why economic dependence on foreign capital, technology and infrastructure can constrain a nation's sovereignty just as effectively as military force.

We discuss:

• How a 2017 agreement between Alaska and a Chinese state-linked company for a $43 billion LNG project became the basis for a speculative novel about foreign occupation
• Why economically unviable infrastructure deals can still attract foreign investment, and what predatory lending terms reveal about the true intent behind them
• How debt-trap dynamics that have played out in Sri Lanka and Djibouti could realistically unfold within a U.S. state
• The accumulation risk of individually rational investments in energy, agriculture and finance, and how they can combine into a national security threat
• Why Alaska's abundance of rare earths, oil, gas and proximity to Russia make it strategically indispensable, and strategically vulnerable
• The structural disadvantage democracies face when competing against authoritarian states that plan in decades rather than election cycles
• How economic leverage translates into political influence, from campaign financing to land use regulation
• What current developments, including foreign interest in U.S. data infrastructure, reveal about where these risks are heading next

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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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Stephanie Wolters about security, governance, and stability across the Democratic Republic of Congo. Stephanie Wolters unpacks why the DRC cannot be ignored, and why the roots of the conflict stretch far beyond its own borders.

The discussion examines the international intervention in DRC, including MONUSCO, and what daily life actually looks like for communities living under armed group control. It also explores Rwanda's influence in the crisis.

The conversation explores:
 
-The regionally-driven roots of the conflict and why it's about power more than resources
-Rwanda's role in the crisis
-The impact and limits of international intervention on the ground
-What daily life is actually like for communities in areas controlled by armed groups
-The challenge of managing outbreaks like Ebola in conflict-affected areas

Stephanie Wolters is a Senior Research Fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs and founding director of Okapi Consulting, with over 25 years of experience researching conflict and political economy across the Great Lakes 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 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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#Geopolitics #DRC #GreatLakes #MONUSCO #Congo #Rwanda #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy #Africa

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In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Kirtan Pandit, conservation researcher and co-founder of GeoSutra, an environmental intelligence company whose team deployed drones within 24 hours of the catastrophic Nepal flood to carry out rapid damage assessments in Nuwakot district. Kirtan shares a firsthand account of the disaster response, drawing on his work using drones to assess and deliver aid to flood affected communities, and explains why this event, and Nepal's growing exposure to glacial hazards, must be understood as a climate risk issue with global implications.

We discuss:

• What triggered the flood, and how a glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border unleashed one of the deadliest disasters in Nepal's modern history
• How GeoSutra's team accessed the affected area and used drones to assess damage and deliver aid across a river with no remaining crossings
• The scale of destruction to critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, the Rasuwagadhi border crossing and hydropower stations
• The ongoing search for workers trapped in a hydropower tunnel and the mounting challenge of managing the dead
• Why the flood is directly linked to climate change and global warming's effect on Himalayan glaciers
• The limitations of Nepal's current early warning systems and what stronger, climate resilient infrastructure would require
• Why Nepal and other low emitting mountainous nations are demanding climate finance and loss and damage funding as grants rather than loans
• What this disaster reveals about the growing risk facing mountain communities across the Himalayas and beyond

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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In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Vincent Maitre, Swiss lawyer and political representative in Switzerland's National Council. Vincent examines Switzerland’s changing political and economic landscape and explains what the country’s controversial 10 million referendum reveals about immigration, housing, direct democracy, and political stability. Drawing on his experience as a Swiss National Councillor and lawyer in Geneva, he explores the tensions between population growth and economic competitiveness, the role of consensus politics, and why Switzerland’s approach to democracy and neutrality matters in a rapidly changing Europe.

We discuss:

• Why Switzerland’s system of direct democracy has endured and how referendums shape political decision-making
• What the 10 million referendum reveals about public concerns over immigration, housing, infrastructure, and quality of life
• Why Switzerland remains dependent on foreign workers despite growing concerns about population growth
• How housing shortages, regulation, and lengthy planning processes are affecting Swiss cities
• Why consensus politics and compromise have helped make Switzerland politically and economically stable
• How Switzerland balances military neutrality, international sanctions, and its wider moral and diplomatic responsibilities
• Why Europe needs greater cooperation and solidarity as global power becomes increasingly competitive
• The risks of major powers losing their ability to negotiate, communicate, and work together

This is a timely conversation on Swiss direct democracy, immigration, political stability, European cooperation, neutrality, and the changing nature of geopolitical risk.

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 hosts The International Risk Podcast and is 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!

In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Tal Kollender, former military cyber specialist, cybersecurity expert, and CEO of Remedio. Tal explores the rapidly evolving cyber risk landscape and explains why businesses must rethink cybersecurity as a strategic and geopolitical risk—not simply an IT problem. Drawing on her experience working with global enterprises and at the intersection of cybersecurity, operational resilience, and geopolitical risk, she examines how nation-state attacks, AI, zero-day vulnerabilities, configuration drift, and increasingly autonomous AI tools are changing the threat landscape.

We discuss:

• Why geopolitical tensions and hybrid warfare are increasingly reaching into businesses, supply chains, networks, and cloud infrastructure
• How nation-state attackers differ from conventional cybercriminals and why their objective can be to disrupt or control critical functionality
• Why organisations are still fighting 2026 cyber threats with a 2010 security mindset
• How AI is changing the balance between attackers and defenders, including the growing challenge of zero-day vulnerabilities
• Why visibility and detection are not enough, and why businesses need to prioritise proactive, machine-speed remediation
• The emerging risks of AI agents, shadow AI, risky MCPs, malicious skills, and uncontrolled access to business systems
• Why cyber resilience needs to account for persistent, cascading, and politically motivated attacks rather than treating incidents as isolated events
• What boards and executives should be asking about cyber risk, AI governance, resilience, and remediation
• Why “hope is not a strategy” when organisations are facing an accelerating cyber 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 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 hosts The International Risk Podcast and is 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!

The International Risk Podcast with Lucy Wark

In this episode, we explore how artificial intelligence is actually reshaping labour markets, not the headline version where everyone loses their job overnight, but the messier, still-unfolding reality visible in the data so far. We break down what economists mean when they say a job is "exposed" to AI, why that word gets misread as a prediction of job loss, and why the real question isn't whether AI is powerful but whether it's being used to replace workers or make them more productive. From junior employees in software engineering and customer support to freelancers on gig platforms, we look at who is actually losing ground right now, and what career strategies still hold up in a labour market being rewritten in real time.

We discuss:

Why "AI exposure" doesn't mean what most headlines imply, and the real difference between automation and augmentation
Why we're still in the "first innings" of understanding AI's impact on labour markets
The five things to track separately: capability, exposure, adoption, economic impact, and people impact
Why adoption of AI tools is "a puddle, not an ocean," despite near-universal awareness
Why AI's economic impact is still barely visible in GDP, productivity, and wage statistics
The "canaries in the coal mine": emerging evidence that junior workers in AI-exposed fields are already losing employment
"Seniorization" — why entry-level roles increasingly expect mid-level output
Early signs of decline in freelance marketplaces, and why freelancers may be hit first
Which career strategies, like corporate ladder-climbing and credentialism, no longer hold up
What's replacing them: platform building, proximity, and leverage
What AI is doing to critical thinking, and how educators are responding
How Lucy Wark uses AI in her own research and writing process, and where she still insists on doing the work herself

About the guest: Lucy Wark is a former McKinsey consultant and serial entrepreneur, co-founder of career-skills company Fuzzy and sexual wellness brand Normal. She writes the Substack series How Not To Lose Your Job, which examines the evidence behind AI's impact on labour markets and recommends career strategies for building an AI-resilient career. She studied Politics, Psychology and Sociology at Cambridge and Social Science at the University of Chicago. In this conversation, Lucy draws on labour market research and her own experience coaching career strategy to break down what's actually happening in the data, and what individuals should do about it.

Lucy's Substack: 
https://lucywark.substack.com/

About the host: Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

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#AI #FutureOfWork #LabourMarket #CareerStrategy #ArtificialIntelligence #Careers #Employment #Automation #WorkplaceTrends #BusinessRisk #RiskManagement #InternationalRiskPodcast

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The International Risk Podcast with Federico Saleri

In this episode, we explore how Europe’s rapidly changing security environment is reshaping the risks facing businesses, why geopolitical disruption can no longer be treated as a temporary shock, and how companies can build resilience against an increasingly unpredictable threat landscape. From Russia’s war in Ukraine and hybrid warfare to sabotage, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and supply-chain disruption, geopolitical risk is increasingly something boards and executive teams must actively prepare for and govern.

We discuss:
- How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has transformed the risk environment for European businesses
- Why geopolitical shocks are becoming persistent operating conditions rather than exceptional events
- Russia’s hybrid and grey-zone activity across Europe
- Sabotage, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and the growing threat to European companies
- Which sectors are most exposed, including energy, logistics, telecommunications, transport and defence
- Why businesses can be affected even when they are not directly targeted
- What companies can learn from the preparedness of Finland and the Baltic states
- Who should own geopolitical risk within an organisation
- How boards and executives can use scenario planning and exercises to prepare for high-impact events
- How businesses can build greater resilience in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment
- The international risks that concern Federico Saleri most

About the guest:
Federico Saleri is Associate Director in the European Geopolitical and Country Risk team at Control Risks, where he advises organisations on geopolitical and security risks across Europe. His work includes helping multinational companies understand emerging threats, assess geopolitical scenarios and strengthen their preparedness for disruption. In this conversation, Federico draws on his work with businesses across Europe to examine how organisations are responding to hybrid threats, geopolitical volatility and the growing demands of corporate resilience.

About the host:
Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

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📩 Share this episode with colleagues working in international business, geopolitics, security, risk management, and corporate strategy

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#Geopolitics #GeopoliticalRisk #Europe #Ukraine #Russia #HybridWarfare #BusinessRisk #RiskManagement #BusinessResilience #CriticalInfrastructure #CorporateSecurity #InternationalBusiness #InternationalRiskPodcast

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Third-Party Risk: What Companies Get Wrong | The International Risk Podcast with Tom Garrubba

As organisations increasingly rely on outsourcing, cloud providers, and complex global supply chains, third-party risk has become one of the biggest challenges facing business leaders. But where do organisations most often go wrong—and how can they build more resilient supplier relationships?

In this episode, we explore how organisations can strengthen third-party risk assurance through better supplier due diligence, governance, and ongoing oversight.

We break down:
- Why third-party risk has evolved far beyond procurement and contract management
- How to assess suppliers before outsourcing critical technology and business services
- Managing concentration risk and overreliance on strategic suppliers
- The importance of supplier due diligence, on-site assessments, and continuous assurance
- Building realistic risk-adjusted business cases that balance cost savings with resilience
- Deciding what should—and should not—be outsourced
- Practical lessons from DORA, NIS2, and modern third-party risk management
- The international risks that concern Tom Garrubba most

About the guest
Tom Garrubba is Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Partnership Officer at FusionAIrre, an AI-powered assurance software company helping organisations modernise third-party risk management. With nearly 20 years of experience advising Fortune 100 organisations across financial services, healthcare, and technology, Tom has designed and led large-scale third-party risk, cybersecurity, and supplier assurance programmes. He is also a global speaker, published author, university lecturer, and trainer for the internationally recognised Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP) and Certified Third Party Risk Assessor (CTPRA) certification programmes.

About the host
Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment at Columbia University's Climate School, to unpack why critical minerals have become one of the defining forces in global geopolitics, economics and security, and why the countries richest in them so often stay poor.

Sachs draws on two decades advising governments, investors and international institutions on resource governance to explain why minerals like lithium, cobalt and copper are not a new story but a long overlooked one, now thrust into the headlines by the clean energy transition and the race for AI. She examines why so few mining communities are genuinely better off for having mining nearby, why the "resource curse" is really a failure to treat natural resource governance as inseparable from geopolitics and international finance, and why the murky politics behind deals like the Kazakhstan tungsten project linked to the Trump family raise uncomfortable questions about conflict of interest at the highest levels. The conversation also covers what she calls "legalized corruption" in how resource deals get structured, why resource nationalism can be reasonable for developing countries but self-defeating for wealthy ones racing to secure their own supply chains, and why she believes AI and the energy transition represent a genuine opportunity to correct decades of unequal value capture if governments and companies are willing to learn from past mistakes.

Key topics discussed:

• Why critical minerals are not the "new oil" but have always been central to the global economy
• What resource governance actually means in practice, beyond permits and environmental regulation
• Why Sachs struggles to name mining communities that are genuinely better off for having mining
• The conflict of interest questions raised by the Trump family's Kazakhstan tungsten investment
• "Legalized corruption" and the use of tax structuring and diplomatic pressure in resource deals
• Why resource nationalism is rational for developing countries but self-defeating for wealthy ones
• How companies keep misreading community resistance to mining projects
• Whether the clean energy transition and AI will reduce global inequality or deepen it
• The international risks Dr. Sachs is watching most closely today, from climate change to AI driven inequality

This episode is relevant to anyone interested in critical minerals, resource governance, geopolitics, supply chain security, sustainable investment or international risk.

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.

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In this episode, we explore how artificial intelligence is transforming power, accountability, and trust inside organisations. From algorithmic hiring and performance management to the legal risks of "shadow AI" and workplace surveillance, we discuss what businesses need to understand as AI increasingly shapes employment decisions.

We discuss:
How far AI has already moved into hiring, performance management, and employment decisions
Whether our legal systems and employment frameworks are prepared for accelerating AI capability
What "human in the loop" really means, and the legal risks when it's missing
Real-world litigation, including the Workday hiring-discrimination lawsuit and a Delaware Chancery case over an AI-influenced business decision
Shadow AI: why employees bring their own AI tools to work, and what that exposes about leadership
Where to draw the line between legitimate monitoring and excessive surveillance
Who inside an organisation should own AI-related employment risk — the board, HR, Legal, IT, or the CEO
Practical steps every business leader should prioritise over the next 12 months

About the guest: Andrew Adams is Practice Leader of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at DarrowEverett LLP, where he also serves on the firm's Business Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution and Regulatory & Compliance practice groups. He advises clients ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations on employment litigation, regulatory compliance, workplace investigations, and government enforcement, and regularly provides training on employment law and compliance issues. 

About the host: Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

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Share this episode with colleagues working in employment law, HR, risk management, and corporate governance

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#ArtificialIntelligence #EmploymentLaw #WorkplaceAI #HR #RiskManagement #CorporateGovernance #ShadowAI #EmploymentRisk #FutureOfWork #InternationalRiskPodcast

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Is Hong Kong Still Safe for Business? | The International Risk Podcast with Megan Khoo

Hong Kong has long been regarded as one of the world's safest and most attractive places to do business. But following the introduction of the National Security Law, growing geopolitical tensions between China and the West, and increasing scrutiny from international governments, many organisations are reassessing the risks of operating in the territory.

In this episode, we explore how Hong Kong's changing political and legal landscape is reshaping the business environment, what international companies should understand before investing or expanding in the region, and how geopolitical risk is becoming a board-level issue.

We discuss:

• Is Hong Kong still a safe place for international business?
• How the National Security Law has changed Hong Kong's legal and political environment
• The impact of US-China strategic competition on international companies
• Business confidence, sanctions, and reputational risk
• Human rights concerns and their implications for multinational organisations
• The future of Hong Kong as an international financial centre
• How organisations can better prepare for geopolitical uncertainty in Asia
• The international risks that concern Megan Khoo most

About the guest

Megan Khoo is Policy Director at Hong Kong Watch, where she leads the organisation's policy and advocacy work on Hong Kong, China, human rights, and international affairs. Before joining Hong Kong Watch, she worked in communications and policy roles across the UK and United States, including at the US Department of Defense and the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC. Megan holds an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford and degrees in International Studies and Modern Languages (Mandarin Chinese and Spanish) from Georgia Southern University.

About the host

Dominic Bowen is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe's leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis management, geopolitical risk, operational resilience, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience across government, humanitarian operations, and corporate leadership.

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📩 Share this episode with colleagues working in international business, geopolitics, risk management, and corporate strategy

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#HongKong #China #Geopolitics #BusinessRisk #GeopoliticalRisk #RiskManagement #InternationalBusiness #Asia #NationalSecurity #ChinaRelations #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRiskPodcast

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ibrahim Aboubacar Hama about climate change and its impact on food security, livelihoods, and stability across West Africa. Ibrahim shares what climate change looks like on the ground, and why national strategies often don't match lived reality.

The discussion examines whether government frameworks like Senegal's agenda can keep pace with a food security crisis that's projected to nearly double during the lean season, and why bridging the gap between science and affected communities is still one of the region's biggest challenges. We also explore the lingering fingerprints of colonial-era resource extraction and what the rest of the world consistently gets wrong about the crisis unfolding in West Africa.

The conversation explores:

-What climate change actually looks like for communities on the ground
-Why strategy on paper often fails to reach the people who need it most
-The lingering economic and institutional legacy of colonial-era extraction
-Why bridging the gap between science and society is important

Ibrahim Aboubacar Hama is an Environmentalist and Communication Specialist with extensive experience designing and managing climate change adaptation projects across West Africa, with expertise spanning social mobilization, gender equity, stakeholder engagement, and conservation education.

The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare. 

Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world.

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#Geopolitics #ClimateChange #WestAfrica #FoodSecurity #Senegal #Niger #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateSecurity #Sahel #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy

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Jennifer Parker examines the rapidly changing security environment across the Indo-Pacific and explains why maritime competition, strategic deterrence, and AUKUS matter far beyond defence circles. Drawing on her experience as a former Royal Australian Navy warfare officer and defence strategist, she explores the growing risks posed by China's military expansion, the future of Australia's submarine capability, and why governments and businesses alike must rethink their assumptions about global security.

We discuss:

- Why the Indo-Pacific has become the world's most strategically contested region
- What AUKUS is designed to achieve and the risks and opportunities it presents
- How China's expanding military capabilities are reshaping regional security
- Why businesses should understand their supply chain and maritime dependencies
- What a Taiwan crisis could mean for Australia, global trade, and international stability
- Whether Australia is becoming too dependent on the United States for its defence

This is a timely conversation on deterrence, maritime security, and the new reality of strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.

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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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Lord Peter Ricketts, the UK's first National Security Advisor, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and former British Ambassador to France, to unpack what Andy Burnham's rise to Downing Street means for Britain's place in the world.

Ricketts examines why Burnham, arriving as the UK's seventh Prime Minister in ten years with almost no track record on foreign policy, inherits a fragile but consequential legacy from Keir Starmer, from steadfast support for Ukraine to a more assertive European security posture. He explains why personal relationships between world leaders are not a soft add-on but a genuine strategic asset, why Burnham will have to build trust with Trump, Macron, and Merz essentially from scratch, and why a hard right shift in France under Marine Le Pen could complicate cooperation on defence and migration. The conversation also covers the Strategic Defence Review's warnings on warfighting readiness, the sobering "letters of last resort" every new Prime Minister must write for Britain's nuclear submarines, and why Britain's credibility in NATO depends on defence spending it may struggle to sustain.

Key topics discussed:

• Why Burnham's political style raises real questions about his readiness for crisis decision making
• Why personal relationships between leaders matter as much as institutions and interests
• The risk that a Le Pen led France could complicate UK-EU defence and migration cooperation
• Why continuity on Ukraine is critical, and the spending trade-offs Burnham will face at home
• What Britain needs to do to keep pulling its weight in NATO
• The reality of nuclear command responsibility that awaits every incoming Prime Minister
• The international risks Lord Ricketts is watching most closely today, from war in Europe to climate change

This episode is relevant to anyone interested in international relations, defence policy, European security, diplomacy, or international risk. If you are interested in Lord Rickett's book: Peace Makers: Shaping the modern world: the men and women of the Foreign Office in WWII.

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.

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This re-released and condensed episode with Elizabeth Bullock examines the lived reality of modern conflict in Ukraine, drawing on her three years providing frontline humanitarian aid. From evacuating civilians under fire to navigating the evolving threats of drones, hypersonic missiles, and weaponised infrastructure, Elizabeth provides an unflinching look at how war shapes both society and strategy and what it reveals about the future of global security.

We discuss:

• How technology from drones to hypersonic missiles is redefining the battlefield
• How civilians survive and adapt under sustained attack
• What Russia’s tactics reveal about modern conflict
• How Ukraine has developed its defence under extreme pressure
• What this war means for the future of global security

This is an unfiltered look at contemporary warfare and the lessons it holds for the world ahead.

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.

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Michele Goodwin, a leading bioethicist and constitutional law scholar at Georgetown Law, to unpack the history, law, and power structures shaping reproductive rights in America.

Goodwin challenges the assumption that abortion criminalization has always been the norm, tracing its roots to the U.S. Civil War and the political battle over slavery. She explains why the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade wasn't simply a return to democratic decision-making, why abortion is medically far safer than pregnancy itself, and why today's map of abortion bans mirrors the map of the former Confederacy. The conversation also covers the criminalization of pregnancy and motherhood, the disproportionate targeting of Black women by law enforcement, the shifting legal question of fetal personhood, and the Supreme Court's inconsistent treatment of bodily autonomy depending on race and gender.

Key topics discussed:

• Why abortion criminalization has political, not purely moral or medical, origins
• Why Dobbs wasn't simply "returning the issue to democracy"
• The medical reality of pregnancy, viability, and abortion safety
• The criminalization and policing of pregnant women, particularly Black women
• When and how personhood and citizenship are legally defined
• The Supreme Court's inconsistent treatment of bodily autonomy across race and gender

This episode is relevant to anyone interested in law, human rights, public health, race, democracy, or international risk.

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.

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Peter Bendor-Samuel, founder and executive chairman of Everest Group and one of the world's leading experts on IT services and enterprise transformation, to unpack the forces reshaping global outsourcing, offshoring and near-shoring.

Bendor-Samuel challenges the assumption that AI is set to end labor arbitrage, arguing that companies willing to change how they operate are already seeing major productivity gains without moving work back onshore. He explains why India's dominance in tech services delivery isn't going anywhere, why the falling cost of cyberattacks is forcing security budgets up rather than down, and what enterprises are actually getting from building their own Global Capability Centres instead of relying on third-party providers. The conversation also covers data sovereignty, tightening immigration rules, and whether multi-vendor strategies genuinely reduce concentration risk under regulations like DORA.

Key topics discussed:

• Why AI is delivering major productivity gains in software development, and why "labor arbitrage is alive and well"
• The limits of on-shoring and the enduring case for offshore talent
• What enterprises actually gain from building their own Global Capability Centres in India
• How falling attack costs and expanding cyber risk are driving up security spend
• Data sovereignty, security clearances and immigration's impact on delivery location
• Concentration risk, DORA, and whether multi-vendor strategies really reduce exposure

This episode is relevant to anyone interested in technology, global business, cyber risk, regulation or international risk.

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. 

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As India cements its position as one of the world's leading technology and outsourcing hubs, international organisations face an increasingly complex cyber, legal, and regulatory environment.

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with N.S. Nappinai, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and one of the country's leading experts on cyber law, data protection, and digital governance.

The conversation explores how businesses can navigate India's rapidly evolving cyber and data protection landscape while balancing innovation, compliance, and operational resilience. From outsourcing technology services and cross-border data transfers to AI-enabled cyber threats and emerging regulation, this episode examines the risks and opportunities facing organisations operating in one of the world's fastest-growing digital economies.

Nappinai explains how India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) compares with the EU's GDPR, why legal compliance alone is not enough to manage cyber risk, and what multinational organisations should consider when building resilient governance frameworks in India.

The discussion explores:

•  How India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) compares with the EU's GDPR 
•  The legal, cyber, and operational risks organisations should consider when outsourcing technology services to India 
•  Cross-border data transfers, regulatory uncertainty, and compliance challenges for multinational organisations 
•  The growing threat posed by AI-enabled cybercrime, fraud, deepfakes, and business email compromise 
•  Why vendor due diligence, contractual protections, cybersecurity audits, and implementation are critical for managing digital risk 
•  What the future holds for India's cyber governance, AI regulation, and digital risk landscape 

N.S. Nappinai is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, Founder of CyberSaathi, and one of India's leading experts on cyber law, cybersecurity, digital rights, intellectual property, and data protection. She advises governments, businesses, and institutions on emerging technology law and has played a prominent role in shaping conversations around cyber governance and digital policy. 

Our host, Dominic Bowen, is Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives on crisis, geopolitical risk, and strategy, drawing on decades of experience in conflict zones and corporate leadership.

#CyberSecurity #India #DataProtection #DPDPA #GDPR #Outsourcing #CyberRisk #RiskManagement #InternationalRiskPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #Compliance #CyberLaw

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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Dr Duncan Depledge about climate change and its growing impact on the world's militaries.

This conversation looks at the geopolitics of the Arctic, the role of energy and logistics in warfare, and the growing competition across the High North, exploring how environmental change has become a central concern in defence planning.

 Duncan explains why it is a problem for militaries today rather than in the future, and why armed forces now treat a warming world as a practical operational challenge instead of a distant environmental one.

 The discussion examines whether militaries can decarbonise without compromising readiness and combat effectiveness, and why energy is both a necessity and a vulnerability in war. We also explore NATO's growing engagement with climate security, the rising competition for the critical minerals that green technologies depend on, and why the Arctic, the Baltic, and Northern Europe are now closely connected.

 The conversation explores:

• Whether the Arctic is the new central theatre of military strategy
• How energy transitions create both resilience and vulnerability
• The role of critical minerals and resource competition in future conflict
• Why climate change is a present-day defence issue, not a future one

 Dr Duncan Depledge is Senior Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security at Loughborough University, specialising in climate security, defence policy, and Arctic geopolitics. He has advised the Ministry of Defence, NATO, and the European Commission, and previously served as Special Adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee for its inquiry into UK defence policy in the Arctic.

  The International Risk Podcast brings together global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers to explore the forces transforming our world — from geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare. 

 Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and one of Europe’s leading experts on international risk and crisis management. He advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across Europe on how to prepare for uncertainty, navigate crises, and build strategic resilience in an increasingly volatile world.

 #Geopolitics #ClimateChange #Arctic #NATO #Defence #Military #HighNorth #Baltic #CriticalMinerals#EnergySecurity #China #ClimateSecurity #PoliticalRisk #InternationalRisk #Strategy

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This could be the most controversial World Cup in history. In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Simon Chadwick, one of the world's leading experts on the geopolitical economy of sport, to unpack the politics behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Chadwick challenges the term "sportswashing," arguing it has been selectively applied by the global north while similar issues in co-hosts Mexico and Canada go largely unexamined. He explains why recent tournaments reveal the limits of soft power in sport, why hard power increasingly defines how host nations operate, and what the US, Mexico, and Canada are actually getting out of hosting. The conversation also covers dynamic ticket pricing, fan fears around ICE enforcement and border control, and whether FIFA's claim to political neutrality was ever true, particularly in light of the FIFA Peace Prize awarded to President Trump.

Simon Chadwick is Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris, and Director of its Global Executive MBA in Sport. His work examines the intersection of power, politics, money, and state interests in elite sport, and he has spent over 25 years researching and writing on football and the World Cup. He is the editor of The Geopolitical Economy of Sport: Power, Politics, Money, and the State, the first book to define and explore how sport, geopolitics, and economics interact at a global level. Chadwick has worked extensively across the sport industry with clubs, governing bodies, commercial partners, and governments, including FIFA, UEFA, Barcelona Football Club, Adidas, and the organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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. 

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For more than six decades, USAID sat at the centre of the global humanitarian and development system. A little over a year ago, USAID became one of the first targets of the Trump administration’s DOGE campaign. Today, the hum and development sector is grappling with profound uncertainty at precisely the moment humanitarian needs are growing, especially with the rise in intrastate conflicts. What has the loss of USAID meant in practice? How are communities responding? And what does the future of international development look like in a world of shrinking aid budgets but rising humanitarian need? 

And joining me to discuss this is Nicholas Enrich. He served as the former top global health official at USAID’s before becoming the acting assistant administrator for Global Health at USAID shortly before Trump’s second presidential inauguration. On March 2 2025 he was placed on administrative leave for exposing the Trump’s administration illegitimate and destructive dismantling of USAID which ended up going viral and his memo has been cited in a Supreme Court case on the legality of USAID’s dissolution. While the public release of his memos were ultimately not enough to save USAID, Enrich was one of the first government officials to publicly blow the whistle on DOGE’s reckless operations and inform other federal agencies of what was to come. Published in April Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower’s Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID.

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. 

This episode was produced by Anna Kummelstedt

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This episode hosts David Daley to examine the accelerating role of gerrymandering in shaping American democracy and what it reveals about the pressures facing modern electoral systems. The conversation explores his argument that democratic strain is driven not only by electoral cycles or individual political choices, but by the deliberate drawing of electoral maps that enables political actors to select their voters, weaken accountability, and reshape the incentives that underpin democratic competition. Daley argues that while gerrymandering has long been part of American politics, its contemporary form is defined by greater precision, scale, and the degree to which it is now enabled by advanced data systems and a permissive legal environment.

The episode examines how technological change has transformed redistricting into a highly sophisticated analytical process. Drawing on census data, historical voting patterns, and commercially available behavioural datasets, political operatives are now able to model electoral outcomes at the level of individual households. Advanced mapping software allows thousands of district configurations to be tested and refined before any boundaries are finalised, turning what was once a broadly geographic exercise into a data-driven process of political optimisation. This technological shift has strengthened the ability of parties to entrench advantage in an era of deep political polarisation.

A central focus of the conversation is the evolving legal framework governing redistricting in the United States. Daley highlights the Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Rucho v. Common Cause, which removed federal courts from adjudicating partisan gerrymandering claims and effectively eliminated a key national constraint on extreme map-drawing. He also points to the longer-term weakening of Voting Rights Act enforcement following Shelby County v. Holder (2013), which dismantled the federal pre-clearance system. Taken together, these rulings have shifted oversight away from federal institutions and into a fragmented landscape of state courts, constitutions, and political processes, producing uneven constraints across the country and enabling more aggressive partisan behaviour in many jurisdictions.

David Daley is a journalist, political commentator, and bestselling author of Ratf**ked, a landmark study of partisan gerrymandering in the United States first published in 2010. His work examines how changes in redistricting strategy, electoral law, and political technology have reshaped American democracy over the past two decades. Daley has written extensively on the impact of map-drawing on representation, highlighting how advances in data analytics and shifts in judicial oversight have transformed gerrymandering from a relatively blunt political practice into a precise instrument of partisan advantage.

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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This episode hosts David Higgins to explore the complex and often misunderstood boundary between military operations, humanitarian action, and political stabilisation in modern conflict environments. Drawing on two decades of experience across the British Army, the United Nations, and geopolitical advisory work, we look at how different institutions operating in the same space can interpret the same conflict in fundamentally different ways, and how those differences shape outcomes on the ground. 

The discussion focuses on David’s central argument that civil-military coordination frameworks still assume a level of clarity between “military space” and “civilian space” that increasingly no longer exists. While these distinctions were difficult but workable in conflicts such as Afghanistan and Somalia, today’s environments are far more fragmented, with blurred front lines, overlapping actors, and the increasing weaponisation of civilian domains including information, finance, and infrastructure. As a result, coordination mechanisms risk becoming procedurally active but operationally ineffective. 

David Higgins is Head of Humanitarian Access and Civil-Military Coordination in Somalia for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He has spent twenty years working across the civil-military boundary as a British Army infantry officer, humanitarian and stabilisation adviser, and geopolitical analyst, including deployments to Helmand Province and roles across Afghanistan, Iraq, and East Africa. He previously served as Head of Geopolitical Analysis at M&C Saatchi World Services and as a reservist Lieutenant Colonel with the British Army’s 77th Brigade, and holds a research master’s focused on hybrid threats and UK national 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. 

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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This episode hosts Erez Levin to examine the shifting boundaries of acceptable public speech and what this reveals about the health of modern democratic societies. The conversation explores his central argument that liberal democracies depend not only on formal legal frameworks, but also on informal social guardrails, shared moral taboos that limit the public acceptability of overt hateful bigotry and dehumanising rhetoric. As these guardrails weaken in fragmented and algorithmically driven information environments, previously marginal forms of rhetoric can become more visible, more tolerated, and in some cases gradually normalised within mainstream political discourse.

Erez Levin is an advertising technologist and former Google employee whose work focuses on the intersection of digital media systems, online advertising incentives, and the health of public discourse. Through his “Holding the Line” project and writing on Substack, he examines how societies can maintain democratic resilience by reinforcing shared norms that constrain the social acceptability of overt hateful bigotry, while preserving space for open political debate.

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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In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Phil Booth, coordinator of medConfidential and a long-standing campaigner on medical confidentiality, patient consent and data governance, about what Palantir’s growing role in the NHS reveals about public trust, private technology companies and the data infrastructure increasingly underpinning the modern state. 

The conversation examines the NHS Federated Data Platform, the use of Palantir Foundry and the wider risks that arise when critical public infrastructure becomes dependent on private technology companies. Phil argues that the central issue is not only whether the software works, but who controls it, how easily it can be scrutinised or replaced, and whether patients have any meaningful choice over how their health data is used. 

Dominic and Phil discuss the limits of pseudonymisation, weaknesses in current opt-out arrangements, the commercial value created around NHS workflows and data systems, and the danger of long-term vendor lock-in. Phil reflects on earlier disputes surrounding care.data and the extraction of GP records, arguing that successive governments have repeatedly failed to treat public consent as a necessary condition of legitimate health-data use. They also explore how Palantir’s work with military, intelligence and policing organisations can create ethical and strategic tensions when the same company becomes deeply embedded in healthcare systems. 

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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This episode with Ulf Laessing examines the recent escalation of unrest in Mali and what it reveals about the deeper fragmentation of authority across the central Sahel. The conversation explores how sustained insurgent pressure, weak state institutions, and shifting alliances between military governments and armed groups are reshaping the trajectory of the Malian state.

We discuss why Mali has become a central node in the wider Sahel crisis, how jihadist groups are adapting their operational strategies, and what the breakdown of territorial control means for regional spillover into Niger, Burkina Faso, and coastal West Africa. The episode also considers the role of external actors, including Russian security partnerships and regional bloc responses, in shaping both stability and instability.

Ulf Laessing is the Head of the Sahel Programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. His work focuses on governance, security dynamics, insurgency trends, and political risk across the central Sahel 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 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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In this episode, we host Professor Meru Sheel to examine whether global health systems are prepared for the next major infectious-disease outbreak. Drawing on her work in infectious-disease epidemiology, vaccine research, emergency preparedness and global health security, Professor Sheel explores the difficult questions now facing governments, public-health agencies and international institutions: how quickly outbreaks can be detected, how effectively information is shared, and how public-health systems can respond before local emergencies become wider international crises. Set against the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, and the international response to the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak, this conversation looks at the race between disease spread, surveillance, public trust and political coordination.

We discuss why outbreaks test far more than medicine alone. Professor Sheel explains how public-health responses depend not only on vaccines, diagnostics and contact tracing, but also on logistics, risk communication, community engagement and trust in institutions. We explore the difference between individual severity and population-level risk, why a virus can be highly fatal without necessarily posing a pandemic-style threat, and why public-health messaging must warn people without creating panic. The episode also examines the role of the International Health Regulations, the World Health Organization, national governments and multidisciplinary response teams in managing complex, cross-border outbreaks involving cruise ships, repatriation, quarantine, clinical care and international contact tracing.

Professor Meru Sheel is Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Sydney. Her work focuses on epidemiology, vaccine research, outbreak preparedness, emergency response and immunisation systems, particularly across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. She has worked extensively on the relationship between routine vaccination systems and health emergency preparedness, and her research examines how surveillance, community engagement, vaccine delivery, public-health coordination and equity shape the ability of countries to prevent, detect and respond to infectious-disease threats. 

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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This episode with Dr. Emma Salisbury explores how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the vulnerabilities of the global maritime system, revealing how a regional conflict can rapidly become a global economic and security crisis. The conversation examines why critical maritime chokepoints remain central to international trade, energy security, and geopolitical competition, and what recent disruptions tell us about the resilience of the modern global economy.

We discuss the challenges of reopening contested waterways, the balance between disruption and protection at sea, and why freedom of navigation is becoming increasingly contested from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea. The episode also considers the state of Western naval readiness, the growing importance of maritime resilience, and what a more fragmented and competitive international order could mean for global trade, critical infrastructure, and security.

Dr. Emma Salisbury is a maritime security specialist and Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the National Security Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Her work focuses on naval strategy, maritime power, defence policy, and the role of sea power in contemporary geopolitics.

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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In this episode, we host Sam Goodman to explore China’s global campaign of transnational repression, shadow policing, and pressure against critics abroad. Drawing on his work on Hong Kong, UK-China relations, sanctions, the BN(O) community, and economic transnational repression, Sam explains how Chinese and Hong Kong authorities project power beyond their borders through surveillance, diaspora intimidation, legal pressure, financial coercion, and attempts to silence pro-democracy voices far beyond China and Hong Kong.

We discuss the recent UK National Security Act case involving two men convicted in London for assisting a foreign intelligence service in a case centred on Hong Kong authorities, pro-democracy activists, and alleged shadow policing on British soil. Sam explains why this case matters, what it reveals about the vulnerability of open societies, and how Chinese state-linked activity can move through trade offices, former police networks, private security actors, immigration systems, community intermediaries, and financial institutions.

The conversation also explores the everyday impact of transnational repression on Hong Kongers and other diaspora communities in the UK, including fear of infiltration, pressure on family members back home, self-censorship, and the chilling effect on civic participation. Sam also explains why economic transnational repression remains under-recognised, from frozen bank accounts and blocked pension access to professional disqualification, tax pressure, lawsuits, and compliance systems that can turn Western institutions into unwitting enforcers of authoritarian political objectives.

Sam Goodman is Senior Policy Director at the China Strategic Risks Institute and co-founder of the New Diplomacy Project, a Labour-focused foreign policy think tank. He was previously Policy and Advocacy Director at Hong Kong Watch, where his work focused on Hong Kong, UK-China policy, sanctions, the BN(O) community, and responses to the Hong Kong National Security Law. He is also the author of The Imperial Premiership: The Role of the Modern Prime Minister in Foreign Policymaking 1964–2015. His recent work at the China Strategic Risks Institute examines economic transnational repression and how the PRC and Hong Kong authorities can use financial pressure, bank accounts, pension access, professional qualifications, tax claims, and compliance systems to coerce dissidents abroad.

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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In this episode, we host Dr Giulia Gallo to explore hantavirus, the recent MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, and why a rare but serious infectious disease can generate global headlines without necessarily becoming a pandemic-style threat. Drawing on her work in molecular virology, viral-host interactions and viral glycoproteins at The Pirbright Institute, Dr Gallo explains what hantaviruses are, why they are not new, how they are carried by rodents, and why different hantaviruses cause different disease patterns in different parts of the world.  

We discuss the difference between Old World and New World hantaviruses, why Andes virus is unusual because of its capacity for limited human-to-human transmission, and what public-health officials mean when they describe that transmission as “limited”. Dr Gallo explains why hantavirus can be extremely severe for an infected individual while still presenting a low risk to the wider population, and why the difference between individual severity and population-level transmissibility is so important for public understanding. 

The conversation also examines the MV Hondius outbreak, including the possible land-based exposure in Argentina, the role of the cruise ship as a confined environment, and why enclosed spaces, close contact, limited airflow and international travel can make outbreak response more complex. Dr Gallo also takes us into the science of viral glycoproteins: the proteins on the outside of viral particles that help viruses enter host cells. She explains why viral entry matters, how it shapes infection, and why studying these mechanisms helps scientists understand how viruses move between animals and humans.

Dr Giulia Gallo is a postdoctoral scientist in the Viral Glycoproteins Group at The Pirbright Institute. Her work sits at the intersection of molecular virology, viral-host interactions, viral entry, immune responses and zoonotic spillover. Her research has included work on orthohantaviruses and how viral proteins interact with human immune responses, making her especially well placed to explain hantavirus biology, viral transmission and the scientific uncertainty surrounding rare but serious infectious diseases. Her expert commentary on the hantavirus outbreak has featured on Sky News, BBC World News, Channel 4 News, Associated Press and other national and international media.

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 Gulf is entering a period of profound geopolitical and economic uncertainty. As tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue and global energy markets face mounting pressure, the United Arab Emirates has taken the extraordinary decision to leave OPEC, raising major questions about the future of energy coordination, regional alliances, and global economic stability.

Today on The International Risk Podcast, we are joined by Dr Dania Thafer, one of the leading analysts of Gulf politics, energy security, and regional geopolitics. Dr Thafer is the Executive Director of the Gulf International Forum and an expert on Gulf security, political economy, and US Gulf relations.

In this episode, we explore why the UAE chose to leave OPEC, how the conflict with Iran is reshaping Gulf strategy, the growing vulnerability of global chokepoints, the future of fossil fuel markets in an era of technological transformation, and what rising instability in the Gulf could mean for international trade, energy security, and the global economy.

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. 

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In this episode we explore the lasting impact of landmines. Across Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and dozens of other conflict-affected countries, landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill, injure, and displace civilians long after wars have ended. Fields cannot be farmed, schools cannot reopen, refugees cannot safely return home, and communities remain trapped by the hidden legacy of conflict beneath their feet.

This is not only a humanitarian issue. Landmine contamination affects food security, economic recovery, infrastructure development, migration, investment, political stability, and long-term human security. From Ukraine’s agricultural heartlands to villages in Myanmar and post-conflict communities in Syria, explosive remnants of war continue to shape how people live, travel, rebuild, and recover.

Today on The International Risk Podcast, we are joined by The HALO Trust Director of Strategy James Denselow. With more than two decades of experience working across conflict and post-conflict environments, including Syria and Lebanon, James has also held roles at Chatham House, Crisis Action, and Save the Children.

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. 

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Across Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and now the Gulf, water systems are no longer just collateral damage. They are becoming targets and tools of coercion. Dams, desalination plants, pumping stations, rivers, reservoirs, and electricity grids are being pulled into the battlespace, with civilians paying the highest price.

This matters far beyond the battlefield. When water infrastructure is attacked, the consequences ripple through food security, energy production, public health, migration, fertiliser markets, political stability, and the legitimacy of states themselves. In a world already shaped by climate stress, fragile governance and geopolitical escalation, attacks on water and our access to water are becoming yet another significant international risk.

Today on The International Risk Podcast, we are joined by Dr Marcus King, Professor of the Practice in Environment and International Affairs at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, Vice Chair of the Council on Strategic Risks, and one of the world’s leading experts on water weaponisation. Dr King is the author of Weaponizing Water: Water Stress and Islamist Extremist Violence in Africa and the Middle East, and his work has helped define how states and non-state actors use water as a weapon, a bargaining chip, and a tool of control.

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. 

This episode was produced by Anna Kummelstedt

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This episode with Michael Julian explores the growing realities of workplace violence, active threats, and organisational preparedness in an increasingly volatile security environment. The conversation examines why physical violence is becoming a more pressing concern for companies, schools, and public institutions, and how rising social instability, economic pressure, insider risks, and wider geopolitical tensions are reshaping workplace security planning.

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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This episode hosts John Goedschalk to examine the relationship between environmental sustainability, economic development, and long-term climate resilience in the Amazon rainforest and the Guiana Shield. The conversation explores why the forests of Suriname are disproportionately important to global climate stability, regional rainfall systems, and food production across South America. Drawing on the science behind the “Flying Rivers” system, the discussion explains how rainforest evapotranspiration helps generate and transport moisture across the continent, and why large-scale deforestation could trigger ecosystem collapse, water scarcity, and agricultural disruption far beyond the Amazon itself. The episode also examines the environmental and socioeconomic risks associated with deforestation, illegal gold mining, agricultural expansion, and weak land governance, particularly in regions where communities face poverty, limited education, and few economic alternatives.

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, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into

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This episode with Jake Clapham explores the growing fragility of the international order, examining how institutional collapse, strategic miscalculation, and great power rivalry can transform regional crises into global conflicts. Drawing on the history of Imperial Japan, the Second World War, and contemporary flashpoints including Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Strait of Hormuz, the conversation considers whether the world is entering a new era of prolonged geopolitical instability.

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.

Tell us what you liked!