Episode 215: Germany’s Election Aftermath: Security, Economy, and Political Shifts with Paul Hockenos

This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen welcomes Paul Hockenos to discuss the outcome of the latest German elections, analyzing the distribution of seats and the implications of the AfD’s growing presence as part of the political mainstream. Beyond domestic politics, we will examine Germany’s evolving role within Europe and on the global…

The International Risk Podcast, German Elections

The CDU’s Return to Power: What’s Next for Germany and European Security?

Author: Camila Mateos Betancourt Germany held its elections in late February, resulting in a victory for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its leader, Friedrich Merz, who is set to become the next chancellor. The CDU/CSU alliance secured 28.5% of the vote, reclaiming leadership. However, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made significant gains, securing…

Jacob Sims

Jacob Sims

Jacob Sims is a columnist for The Diplomat and a founding partner of Operation Shamrock, which is a global public-private coalition working to disrupt Southeast Asia’s organised cybercrime epidemic. He also acts in a formal advisory capacity to numerous other leading organisations and governments in the global fight against modern slavery. Jacob previously served in…

Episode 212: South East Asia’s Transnational Cybercrime Crisis with Jacob Sims

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil This episode dive into cybercrime and how it can affect all of us!  We have Jacob Sims on, who discusses how common cybercrime is in South East Asia. He explains the ties between the government of Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, and the organised crime bosses. Moreover, how the money is…

Cyber crime, AI, crime, fraudulent behaviour, fraud

Cybercrime and International Risk: How it will affect us all if we do nothing

Written by Elisa Garbil – 03.03.2025 Global internet scams are more and more prevalent in the world, especially after the digitalisation of everything. With AI being used to interview candidates for new roles in businesses for example, one can assume that AI is also being used for other means. The UNODC mentions that especially the…

Episode 209: China, Africa, and the Green Energy Puzzle: Risks and Opportunities with Fikayo Akeredolu

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…

Wolf-Christian Paes

Wolf-Christian Paes

Wolf-Christian Paes is a Senior Fellow of Armed Conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He has more than two decades of experience of working on conflict and post-conflict settings with a focus on Security Sector Reform (SSR); Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants and arms control. Listen to his episode about Arms Trade…

Episode 206: Arms Trade with Wolf-Christian Paes: Ethics, Definitions, and Consequences

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil This week Dominic hosts Wolf-Christian Paes on the podcast. They discuss the ethicality of arms trade, different definitions of a ‘just war’ and what the consequences are on the arms trade, illegal and legal arms trade, arms embargo’s, amongst others. Tune in to hear a very articulated episode with lots…

The International Risk Podcast Mexico and the USMCA

Mexico’s Risks: Internal Challenges and External Pressures in International Trade

Author: Camila Mateos Betancourt Last week with Joshua Meltzer, we discussed the intricate dynamics of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in our podcast, exploring the relevance for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the importance of a unified, aligned trade approach toward China. While the USMCA fosters a shared framework for trade, each country faces…