Episode 277: Skyrocketing gold prices: 2025 geopolitical risks and trends

On October 7th, 2025, gold prices soared to an all-time high of over US$4000 an ounce, and reached about US$4,380 an ounce on October 20th, a new peak that challenges even the inflation-adjusted records of the 1980s.  Today, we are joined by Dr. Moshe Lander. Moshe is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer at Concordia University,…

Episode 276: China’s Push to Build the World’s Largest Hydropower Dam System in Tibet

On 19 July 2025, China began construction on a 60,000-megawatt hydropower project at Medog, with three times the output of Three Gorges and roughly the UK’s entire annual power production. This is a 1.2-trillion-yuan investment (USD 170B) that Beijing frames as clean energy and development. It is located in southeast Tibert, and only 30km upstream…

Episode 275: Hybrid Warfare: The New Normal with Cormac Smith

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into the ongoing war with Cormac Smith today. Dominic and Cormac discuss Mariupol, whether the war can be considered genocide, the disinformation war, the reality of Russian aggression, war crimes, hybrid warfare, the need for unity, and more! Today we are joined by Cormac Smith. Cormac works at the intersection of…

Episode 274: Afghanistan under Taliban rule: what future for the country?

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Dr. Arian Sharifi discuss the events leading to the fall of Kabul in August 2021 and the rise of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.   Find out more about what the Taliban have implemented in the country, how they managed to secure most of the territory from terrorism,…

Episode 273: America’s AI Strategy: Balancing Innovation, Governance, and Strategic Advantage in the Global Technology Race with Professor Adam Chalmers

Today Dominic Bowen hosts Professor Adam Chalmers on The International Risk Podcast to explore the global race for leadership in artificial intelligence. They discuss the United States’ AI Action Plan and China’s AI Plus Plan, how these competing strategies reveal different models of governance, regulation, and ideology, and what this competition means for innovation, global influence, and risk. Together they examine how the…

Episode 272: The Indus at Risk: Floods, Fragility and the Future of the Water Security in Pakistan with Dr. Erum Sattar

Pakistan is once again underwater. In the country’s north—specifically the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—torrential monsoon rains dropped 150 millimeters in under an hour. That’s six inches of rain, fast enough to overwhelm any drainage system. But here, it didn’t just flood streets—it destroyed entire communities. At least 700 people are dead. Over 100 are missing….

Episode 271: Authoritarian Alliances: Strategic Cooperation in a Fragmented Global Order with Doug Livermore

Today Dominic Bowen hosts Doug Livermore on the podcast to discuss the rise of authoritarian alliances. They dive into the growing cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and their proxies, the economic and military dependencies that underpin these relationships, how authoritarian regimes leverage propaganda and “unrestricted warfare,” the role of countries like Venezuela, Sudan, and the…

Episode 270: Syria in Turmoil: Unraveling the Present, Forecasting the Future with Broderick McDonald

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Today Dominic Bowen hosts Broderick McDonald on the podcast to discuss the future of Syria. They dive into the different external actors and their interests, the challenges that the new government of Syria is facing, the fine line of institutional reform and unity, the need for inclusion of the minority groups, what the impact…

Episode 269: Middle East in Transition: Non-State Actors, Trump’s Policy Shift, and Regional Stability with Shayan Talabany

In this episode Dominic Bowen speaks with Shayan Talabany, Senior Analyst and Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, about shifting U.S. strategies in the Middle East and what they mean for governance, security, and economic opportunity across the region. They explore how the U.S. retreat from interventionism is reshaping regional power balances,…

Episode 268: Implications of the Suspension of the Indus Water Treaty

When we think about flashpoints between India and Pakistan, most people picture borders, bombs, or Kashmir. But the most strategic weapon in South Asia today may not be nuclear—it’s water. The Indus Water Treaty has been called one of the world’s most successful peace agreements, surviving wars, nuclear standoffs, and decades of political hostility. But…