The South China Sea: Maritime Strategy, Regional Pressure, and Global Risk

The South China Sea: Maritime Strategy, Regional Pressure, and Global Risk

In December 2024, the Chinese navy deployed nearly 90 vessels in the South China Sea, staging a show of force that sent waves of anxiety through Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. This was not a routine display. According to Dr. Bruce Jones, senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, these…

Ukraine, War, Russian Invasion

A War at Crossroads: The Russia–Ukraine Conflict

Written by Elisa Garbil – 04.08.2025 Diplomacy Without Traction As the Russia–Ukraine war enters its fourth summer, the balance between diplomacy and devastation has become increasingly precarious. While representatives from both sides have returned to negotiation tables in Istanbul and Doha, the intensifying violence across Ukrainian cities and the internal strains within Ukraine’s own institutions suggest that…

Cancer Prevention as International Risk Governance: Exposure, Equity, and the Politics of Inaction

Cancer Prevention as International Risk Governance: Exposure, Equity, and the Politics of Inaction

Despite decades of innovation in oncology, over 40 percent of cancers remain preventable. Yet only 5 percent of global cancer spending is allocated to prevention. In any other domain of risk management, such a mismatch would be considered negligence. This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen is joined by Dr. Joachim Schüz to…

Climate change effects on women

Gender, Climate Change, and Structural Vulnerability in a Warming World

Written by Elisa Garbil – 28.07.2025 Climate change is not just an environmental crisis, it is a risk accelerator that intensifies existing social, economic, and health disparities. As the frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters escalate, certain populations face disproportionate burdens. Among the most affected are women and girls, particularly those living in poverty or facing intersecting…

USA military, AI in the military

Securing Defence Autonomy in the Age of AI-Native Systems

Written by Elisa Garbil – 24.07.2025 As AI-native systems redefine the contours of military capability, defence institutions face a fundamental challenge: how to harness the advantages of autonomy, connectivity, and speed without undermining democratic oversight, institutional control, and strategic clarity. While modern warfare increasingly depends on brilliant machines, which are autonomous, adaptive, and integrated, the risks introduced…

The Geopolitics of Global Health: Power, Pathogens, and the New Rules of International Risk

The Geopolitics of Global Health: Power, Pathogens, and the New Rules of International Risk

In today’s complex international risk landscape, the idea that global health exists outside the sphere of politics no longer holds. What was once perceived as a humanitarian and scientific endeavour has become a site of contestation shaped by geopolitical rivalries, strategic dependencies, and unequal access to resources. From vaccine diplomacy to digital surveillance, and from…

corporate business risk

International Risk and Volatility Is the Cost of Doing Business: Clarity Is Your Competitive Advantage

By Dominic Bowen Host of The International Risk Podcast | Partner at 2Secure | Strategic Advisor In today’s fractured world, business leaders and policymakers face a daunting reality: global volatility isn’t a disruption, it’s the baseline. As Host of The International Risk Podcast, and a Partner at a leading Risk Management Consulting Firm, I speak…

DRC - Rwanda Peace Deal

A Risk-Based Analysis of the DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal

Written by Elisa Garbil – 18.07.2025 On the 27th of June 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda signed a landmark peace agreement in Washington, D.C., mediated by the United States and Qatar. This deal is meant to be potential turning point in the region’s turbulent history, the deal, which has…

Euro zone, European Union, EU

Immigration, Integration, and the Crisis of Perception

Written by Elisa Garbil – 14.07.2025 Across the UK and Europe, immigration has become one of the most politically charged and socially divisive issues of the 21st century. Once regarded primarily through the lens of economic necessity or humanitarian response, migration is now increasingly seen as a threat to national identity, security, and sovereignty. While migration has…

Religion, religious extremism, extremism

Understanding Religious Extremism: A Multidisciplinary View

Written by Elisa Garbil – 10.07.2025 Religious extremism is often portrayed in stark and simplistic terms, dangerous, irrational, and rooted in blind faith. But research from philosophers, psychologists, and international organisations paints a more nuanced picture. It reveals that extremism isn’t solely about belief systems; it’s about identity, psychological vulnerabilities, and the socio-political environments in…