This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen is joined by Michael Sheldrick to unpack the far-reaching consequences of global aid cuts and the future of international development. Together, they explore the real-world impact of the proposed USAID reductions, including disruptions to programs like PEPFAR, and the ripple effects on health systems, livelihoods, and vulnerable…
Michael Sheldrick is a policy entrepreneur, author and a driving force behind the efforts of Global Citizen to end extreme poverty and build climate resilience. As a Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Affairs Officer, he has mobilized over $43 billion in support for healthcare, education and climate from governments, businesses, and foundations. Michael is…
Foreign aid, long considered a cornerstone of international development and diplomacy, is now undergoing a seismic transformation. In recent months, the global aid landscape has been dramatically reshaped by sweeping budget cuts, the closure of USAID, and a reallocation of funds toward defense spending in major donor countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden. These…
Joshua Z. Walker is the Director of Programs of the Congo Research Group at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC). He has been working in and researching the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 2004. Before joining CIC, he was a research associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in Johannesburg, South Africa. He…
This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen sits down with Joshua Z. Walker to analyze the deepening crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) beyond the commonly discussed issue of resource extraction. With the resurgence of the M23 rebellion, the occupation of key territories, and growing concerns over Rwanda’s involvement, the region…
In a world where tensions evolve across different regions, keeping up with global events can be overwhelming. At The International Risk Podcast, we believe it is crucial to bring attention to issues that may not always dominate news feeds or social media timelines. Explore our episodes on the situation in El Salvador, China’s role in…
Bram Verelst works at the Institute for Security Studies as Senior Researcher on Conflict Prevention, Management and Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region. Before joining the ISS, Bram worked as a research fellow at the Department of Conflict and Development Studies, Ghent University, Belgium and as a political analyst for the Belgian Ministry of Defence,…
!!! Please note that this episode was recorded before M23 captured Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern DRC. This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen sits down with Bram Verelst to examine the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the resurgence of the M23 rebellion. As the group captures key…
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, we explore China’s evolving role in Africa’s energy landscape with Fikayo Akeredolu, a DPhil candidate at Oxford specializing in the political economy of energy in Nigeria. We discuss: Join us as we analyze the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s energy future and the strategic role China plays in this…
Mikatekiso Kubayi is a distinguished voice from South Africa and a renowned thinker on global power dynamics. Mr. Kubayi wears many hats: researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) associated with UNISA, fellow at the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and a PhD candidate at…