In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen and Russ Mould discuss why gold has returned to the centre of global finance amid rising geopolitical risk, sanctions, and record government debt.Find out more about what is driving gold’s surge beyond $4,000 an ounce, from central bank buying and reserve diversification to inflation fears and market…
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil In this episode Dominic Bowen speaks with Simon Keslaké, co-founder of Behavioural Risk Intelligence, about why organisational failure is so often driven by behaviour rather than systems or policies. They explore what behavioural risk really means, how it differs from traditional risk management, and why leadership signals, incentives, and team dynamics…
Simon Keslake is the Co-Founder and Behavioural Architect of Behavioural Risk Intelligence® (BRI). His focus is on redefining how organisations measure, understand, and manage the most complex human risks – those originating across leadership teams. BRI is a specialist behavioural economics and psychology consultancy. They combine over 40 years of proprietary behavioural data, peer-reviewed research,…
Written by Elisa Garbil – 02.02.2025 Risk management has traditionally focused on quantifiable exposures: market volatility, credit defaults, operational breakdowns, and compliance breaches. Yet across sectors, repeated organisational failures demonstrate that these events are rarely isolated technical accidents. Instead, they emerge from behavioural patterns that shape how individuals interpret incentives, respond to pressure, exercise judgement, and normalise…
The US dollar remains the central pillar of the global financial system. It dominates cross-border payments, underpins trade invoicing, and accounts for the majority of official foreign exchange reserves. Yet in recent years, debates about the durability of dollar dominance have intensified, driven by the expanded use of financial sanctions, the emergence of digital currencies,…
Daniel McDowell is Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. He is a former Wilson Center China Fellow. As a scholar, McDowell specializes in the study of financial sanctions, the dynamics of…
This episode with Dr Daniel McDowell examines how digital currencies, financial sanctions, and geopolitical competition are shaping the future of the global monetary system. We explore why the US dollar continues to dominate global finance despite political pressure and technological change, how sanctions influence state behaviour, and why network effects make rapid currency shifts unlikely. The discussion also…
The capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by the United States forces on the 3rd of January 2026 marks one of the most dramatic geopolitical events in the Western Hemisphere in decades. However, as stressed by both our host, Dominic Bowen, and our guest, Dr. Brian Fonseca in this episode of the International Risk Podcast,…
Dr. Brian Fonseca is a leading voice on national security, foreign policy, and cybersecurity. He currently serves as Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where…
In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Brian Fonseca discuss the capture of Nicolás Maduro and why this dramatic moment does not automatically mark the start of a democratic transition in Venezuela. Find out more about who truly holds power inside the country today, from the military leadership and intelligence services to competing political factions within…
