Written by Edward Penrose – 24.04.2026 For security leaders, policymakers, and risk professionals, the most dangerous mistake today is to assume that terrorism is receding simply because some of its older forms have weakened. Terrorism is not disappearing; instead, it is mutating. What analysts previously perceived as a relatively bounded problem of distinct organisations and…
When ransomware shuts down a pipeline, exposes hospital data, or forces a local authority offline, the disruption is often framed as a technical failure. In reality, these incidents represent the visible edge of something far more structured: a global criminal economy that increasingly mirrors the organisation of legitimate industry. Ransomware has evolved from opportunistic hacking…
Anja Shortland is Professor of Political Economy at King’s College London, where she studies private governance in some of the world’s most complex and hostile markets, including kidnapping, piracy, fine art theft, antiquities, and ransomware. Her work explores how people trade, negotiate, and create systems of order in environments where formal state enforcement is weak…
This episode hosts Professor Anja Shortland, returning to the podcast following her previous appearance in 2021, to examine how ransomware has evolved into a sophisticated and highly organised form of cybercrime, operating as a global market shaped by incentives, reputation, and weak governance. The conversation explores the scale of the threat, with billions in annual losses,…
Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract risk in the context of global security. It is actively reshaping the physical environment in which military systems operate, altering the reliability of infrastructure, and introducing new forms of uncertainty into strategic decision-making. As Dr Florian Krampe of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) argues…
This episode with Dr Florian Krampe explores how climate change is no longer a peripheral environmental issue but a central factor reshaping global security. The conversation examines how environmental shifts are already degrading critical military infrastructure, from Arctic early warning systems built on melting permafrost to changing ocean conditions that affect submarine detection and strategic…
Dr. Florian Krampe is a German/Swedish political scientist and is the Director of Studies, Peace and Development, at SIPRI. He is also Director of the SIPRI Climate Change and Risk Programme. His particular focus is on peace and conflict research, environmental and climate security, and international security. With over 16 years of experience, Dr. Krampe…
In this episode, we host Robert Siciliano to examine why the biggest vulnerability in cybersecurity is so often not the technology, but the people using it. Drawing on decades of work in fraud prevention, identity protection, and security awareness, Robert argues that most organisations still treat cyber risk as a compliance issue rather than a human one….
Robert Siciliano is an American security expert, private investigator, speaker, and public commentator whose work focuses on fraud prevention, identity protection, and the human side of cyber risk. He is the CEO of Safr.Me and Head Trainer at Protect Now, where he helps organisations and individuals strengthen their defences against scams, impersonation, social engineering, and…
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Irvin Waller about the often-overlooked role of interpersonal violence as a driver of international risk. While violence is frequently treated as a domestic issue, this conversation explores how high levels of homicide and violent crime can shape economic performance, weaken governance, and contribute…
