Iran is facing what many experts describe as a looming state of “water bankruptcy”— a crisis where demand has so profoundly outstripped supply that the very foundations of economic stability, social cohesion, and national security are under strain. From drying reservoirs in Tehran to collapsing aquifers and land subsistence, water is no longer just an…
Milad Jafari is an Iranian political scientist, researcher, and policy analyst specializing in water diplomacy and governance with a water science and engineering background. He holds two master’s degrees: one from Tarbiat Modares University, where he focused on the phenomenology of water governance issues in Tehran and also transboundary water challenges of the Helmand River,…
There are some days in the calendar that people will never forget. 8 December 2024 is a day Syrians will certainlt remember: Liberation Day. Now a national holiday, it marks the fall of the Assad family regime—a dictatorship that had ruled Syria for half a century. Fourteen months on, where is Syria today? Internationally, the…
Greenland is not for sale. That was the message from Denmark and Greenland after the White House summit on the 14th January. Meanwhile, President Trump says the US needs to “own” Greenland for national security, to stop Russia and China in the Arctic. How did an island of 57,0000 people suddenly get flung into the…
Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has systemically targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure–especially its energy systems–as a core part of Russia’s strategy. Since the start of the war, there has been over 2000 air, drone, and artillery attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Electricity grids, nuclear power plants, transmission lines, gas facilities,…
Theresa Sabonis-Helf is based in the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Master’s Degree program, teaching and serving as the Chair of the Science, Technology and International Affairs concentration since 2021. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College and an international development professional. She has lived…
2025 wasn’t just a year with a few bumps, it really was a live fire activity when it comes to leadership, business models, political systems and geopolitics and I think we’ve had some amazing guests on the International Risk Podcast this year. I’m Dominic Bowen, host of the International Risk Podcast and as wars are…
Peter Schwartzstein is an environmental journalist, researcher and advisor who focuses on environmental peacebuilding and the conflict-climate nexus. He’s spent more than a decade reporting across more than thirty countries in the Middle East, Africa, and farther afield, mostly for National Geographic. He’s a fellow at the Stimson Center, journalist-in-residence at The Center for Climate and Security, and…
Around the world, more and more communities are finding that climate change isn’t only about rising temperatures or shifting weather patterns, but for many communities, the first signs of climate change appear in far more everyday pressures: a harvest that doesn’t come in, a water source that no longer lasts the season, a job that…
In a world where geopolitical camps are hardening, India continues to play by its own rules on the world stage. It buys oil from Russia, deepens technology and security ties with the US, while trading extensively with China and positions itself as a voice for the Global South – all while tensions simmer across its…
