Tune in to expert conversations on global risks, geopolitics, and international security. Our weekly episodes feature insights from leading professionals, academics, and policymakers. Expand your understanding of complex global issues with The International Risk Podcast.
In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon. The conversation moves beyond the hype to examine the structural drivers of today’s nuclear competition,…
This episode with Hamid Khalafallah examines the current state of Sudan’s civil war beyond shifting battlefield developments. We explore how patterns of territorial control have altered the structure of authority across the country, why governance capacity remains limited even where military advances have occurred, and how elite bargaining and the “political marketplace” logic have become…
This episode with Elizabeth Bullock examines the lived reality of modern conflict in Ukraine, drawing on her three years providing frontline humanitarian aid. From evacuating civilians under fire to navigating the evolving threats of drones, hypersonic missiles, and weaponised infrastructure, Elizabeth provides an unflinching look at how war shapes both society and strategy and what…
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Professor Tim Lang about the systemic risks facing global food security and how interdependent global supply chains, energy markets, and trade governance shape national resilience. The discussion highlights how domestic food insecurity is rarely confined within national borders: disruptions in production, logistics, or…
This episode of the International Risk Podcast explores hypersonic missiles through the lens of global strategy, defense policy, and international security. Host Dominic Bowen interviews Dr. Jacob Parakilas from Rand Europe about what makes hypersonic weapons strategically significant beyond their speed. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers…
This episode with Professor Djavad Salehi-Isfahani examines how prolonged sanctions, inflation, and structural economic stagnation have reshaped Iran’s political economy. We explore how comprehensive sanctions since 2011 constrained oil revenues and fiscal capacity, why inflation and currency depreciation have reinforced one another over time, and how these pressures have affected poverty, middle-class security, and youth prospects. The…
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil In this episode host Dominic Bowen unpacks the growing influence, and mounting challenges, facing BRICS as the bloc expands and expectations rise with Mihaela Papa. From Brazil’s 2025 presidency and AI regulation to climate finance, payment systems, and the realities of de-dollarisation, the discussion cuts through the headlines to examine what…
In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ola Rifai about the evolution of Syrian identity and how competing narratives of nationalism, sectarianism, and statehood have shaped Syria’s political trajectory and risk before and after 2011. Find out more about how identity was managed under the Assad regime, how sectarianisation unfolded…
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…
In this episode, we host Professor Simon Grima to explore why risk management is too often treated as paperwork and how it can become a genuine strategic superpower when anchored to clear objectives and stakeholder needs. We unpack what “good” risk management looks like in practice: defining risk appetite, separating risk from uncertainty, avoiding box-ticking frameworks, and…
