Episode 374: The Illusion of Separation: Civil-Military Coordination in Modern Conflict with David Higgins

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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…

David Higgins

David Higgins

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David Higgins is Head of Humanitarian Access and Civil-Military Coordination in Somalia for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), where his work focuses on the practical and political challenges of operating at the intersection of military, humanitarian, and stabilisation actors in complex conflict environments. His experience spans two decades of work…

When Informal Guardrails Fail: The Erosion of Democratic Taboos and the Risks of Normalising Extremism

When Informal Guardrails Fail: The Erosion of Democratic Taboos and the Risks of Normalising Extremism

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Democracies are judged by their visible institutions. Elections, constitutions, courts, legislatures and a free press are treated as the cornerstones upon which democratic systems stand. When coming to assess democratic health, they tend to focus on voter turnout, constitutional protections, judicial independence, or the conduct of political leaders. Many of the rules that sustain democratic…

Erez Levin

Erez Levin

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Erez Levin is an advertising technologist and former Google employee whose work focuses on the intersection of digital media systems, online advertising, and the health of public discourse. He has become a vocal critic of the incentive structures underpinning the modern attention economy, particularly the way engagement-driven platforms can amplify polarising and sensational content at…

Episode 373: When Taboos Break: Social Media, Norm Erosion, and the Path from Speech to Political Violence with Erez Levin

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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…

Episode 372: Who Controls Your Health Data? Palantir, the NHS and the Risks of Digital Dependency

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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…

Can Patients Trust Palantir with Their Health Data?

Can Patients Trust Palantir with Their Health Data?

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The UK’s National Health Service says Palantir’s Federated Data Platform can reduce delays and improve patient care. But concerns over consent, confidentiality and digital dependency raise a deeper question about who controls Britain’s health infrastructure. Written by Edward Penrose – 08/06/26 For patients, the use of data within the NHS rests on an implicit bargain….

Phil Booth

Phil Booth

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Phil Booth is a leading British campaigner on medical confidentiality, patient consent, digital identity and the governance of personal data. He is the coordinator of medConfidential, an independent, non-partisan organisation campaigning for confidentiality and consent in the use of health and social care information. Through medConfidential, Phil has been closely involved in many of the…

Episode 370: The Global Race to Detect the Next Outbreak: Ebola, Hantavirus, and the Politics of Public Health Response with Professor Meru Sheel

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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,…

Episode 369: Reopening the Strait: Hormuz, Sea Power, and the Fragility of Global Trade with Dr Emma Salisbury

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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…