Episode 304: Debt as Leverage: Sovereign Lending and Geopolitical Influence with Dr Lev Breydo

*This episode was recorded in October 2025* This episode with Dr Lev Breydo explores how sovereign debt has evolved into a strategic instrument of power in an era of heightened geopolitical risk. We examine how credit markets, financial infrastructure, and legal design now shape state behaviour, constrain autonomy, and function as tools of coercion below the threshold…

Episode 303: Traceability of Critical Raw Material with Romane Dideberg

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil This episode with Romane Dideberg explores responsible mineral sourcing in the context of rising geopolitical risk, with a focus on the Sahel. We examine how insecurity, military coups, and shifting alliances are reshaping control over critical minerals, driving resource nationalism, and complicating governance in fragile and conflict-affected states. Moreover, we also look…

Episode 302: The memory of Srebrenica and current tensions in the Western Balkans with Aidan Hehir

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Aidan Hehir discuss the legacy of the Srebrenica genocide, the politics of remembrance, and why, nearly thirty years later, the region continues to struggle with denial, revisionism, and rising ethnic tensions. Find out more about how competing narratives have shaped post-war identities, the role of international courts in establishing the historical…

Episode 301: Lessons Learned 2025 – Part One with Dominic Bowen and Melanie Meimoun

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…

Episode 300: Conducttr and Robert Pratten: Risk prevention through simulations

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Robert Pratten discuss how crisis simulation and immersive storytelling are reshaping modern approaches to risk management, crisis preparedness, and organisational resilience. Drawing on real-world experience from the design and delivery of large-scale crisis exercises, they examine why many organisations struggle to translate risk plans into effective action under pressure….

Episode 299: Grey Zone Warfare and Strategic Ambiguity: Risk, Deterrence, and the Space Between Peace and Conflict with Dr Andrew Mumford

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Dr Andrew Mumford on The International Risk Podcast to examine how grey zone warfare, hybrid tactics and strategic ambiguity are reshaping the contemporary security environment. They explore why sub-threshold activity has become a central feature of modern geopolitics, how states exploit ambiguity and deniability to pursue strategic objectives without triggering open…

Episode 298: Where does Egypt stand within the Arab world, and in its relation with Israel? Insights from former Ambassador Hesham Youssef

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Hesham Youssef discuss the growing tensions and international risks between Egypt and Israel, the fragile state of regional diplomacy, and the pressures placed on long-standing agreements such as the Camp David Accords.  Find out more about why Egypt views forced displacement from Gaza as an existential red line, how humanitarian…

Episode 297: Threat Multiplier: Understanding the Climate-Violence Nexus with Peter Schwartzstein

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…

Episode 296: Far-Left Extremism with Felix Neumann

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Our conversation today with Felix Neumann traces the shifting landscape of far-left extremism, beginning with the broader global pressures shaping today’s political climate. We unpack how certain ideological threads have evolved, splintered, and re-formed, creating a movement that is at once fragmented and unexpectedly resilient. Along the way, we examine the role…

Episode 295: India’s Strategic Autonomy and Multialignment Approach in 2025 with Dominic Bowen

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…