Political Risk as the Decisive Force Behind Corridor Success: Why the INSTC, BRI, and the Middle Corridor Rise or Falter

Political Risk as the Decisive Force Behind Corridor Success: Why the INSTC, BRI, and the Middle Corridor Rise or Falter

ByElisa Garbil

Written by Elisa Garbil – 12.01.2026 Transport corridors, also known as the arteries of global trade, are often described in terms of engineering feats, freight volumes, and infrastructure investments. Yet the true determinant of whether these grand initiatives thrive or stall lies elsewhere. Beyond tracks, ports, and customs software sits the quieter but more powerful force shaping…

Episode 309: Corridors of Power: Political Risk and the New Global Supply Chain Map with Sophia Burna-Asefi

ByElisa Garbil

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil From Central Asia’s emerging transport corridors to Iran’s sanctions and water stress, this episode of the International Risk Podcast explores how political risk, geopolitics, and climate change are reshaping the global trade map – revealing why supply chain durability is no longer just an economic question, but a strategic one…

Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi

Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi

ByElisa Garbil

Sophia Nina B-A has lived and worked for over a decade in Central Asia and Afghanistan, conducting geopolitical risk analysis and strategic advisory services in both the public and private sectors. Her particular area of focus is on transport infrastructure, particularly railways. She currently works as a freelance journalist and a consultant for the international…

The International Risks of China’s Belt and Road Initiative – Philanthropy or a Hidden Pathway to Crime?

Byadmin

In this week’s podcast, Nathan Paul Southern showed us a far more ominous side to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and its links to organised crime worldwide. Criminal involvement is a little-studied aspect of the BRI, both in policy and research. This is problematic: neglecting to recognise that growth and trade generate huge international risks…

Episode 145: The International Risks of Transnational Organised Crime in South East Asia with Nathan Paul Southern

Byadmin

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the criminal underpinnings of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as uncovering some of the lesser known transnational crimial activities taking place across South East Asia. We are thrilled to be joined by Nathan Paul Southern, an investigative journalist, a PhD Candidate at the University…