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…
James joined HALO in April 2024 as Global Head of Policy and Advocacy, and became Director of Strategy in August 2025. He has spent more than 20 years working on and in the Middle East, including time living in Syria and Lebanon. Prior to joining HALO, he worked at Chatham House, MAP, Crisis Action and…
Episode 365: After the Fighting Stops: Landmines, Recovery and the Cost of Conflict with James Denselow and The HALO Trust 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…
Wars do not end when the shooting stops. Across Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and dozens of other conflict affected regions, communities continue to live with the hidden legacy of violence buried beneath their feet. Landmines, unexploded artillery shells, cluster munitions, and improvised explosive devices remain active long after ceasefires, peace agreements, or military withdrawals. In…
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….
Marcus D. King is Professor of the Practice in Environment and International Affairs in the Science and Technology in International Affairs Program (STIA) at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. He holds a joint appointment at Earth Commons, Georgetown’s Institute for Environment & Sustainability. Prior to Georgetown, King was the John O. Rankin…
Workplace violence is no longer viewed as a rare or isolated risk. Across the United Kingdom, incidents of violence at work have continued to rise, while organisations globally are confronting increasingly complex operating environments shaped by geopolitical tensions, social volatility, insider threats, economic uncertainty, and growing societal polarisation. In this episode of The International Risk…
Michael Julian is the creator of the ALIVE active shooter survival training program and a 30-year veteran of the private security industry. As President and CEO of MPS Security and Protection, he has led executive protection details, workplace violence prevention engagements, behavioral threat assessment teams, and active shooter response training for clients across the United…
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…
A carbon-negative state at the centre of a global ecological contradiction Climate discourse remains dominated by emissions targets, carbon markets, and the protracted choreography of international negotiations. Beneath these institutionalised debates lies a far more immediate and destabilising challenge: the gradual degradation of the ecological systems upon which modern economies fundamentally depend. Few countries illustrate…
