For most of the last century, mining felt like a distant industry, something happening underground, in remote corners of Africa, South America or Central Asia, disconnected from daily life in wealthy capitals. That perception was always something of an illusion, but it has become impossible to sustain. The minerals pulled from the ground today determine…
What do lithium batteries, Apple Watches and artillery shells have in common? They all trace back to the same tangled web of mines, minerals and geopolitics. In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen sits down with Lisa Sachs, Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment at Columbia University’s Climate School,…
In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Jennifer Parker, principal and founder of Barrier Strategic Advisory, with affiliations at various universities and think tanks. Jennifer examines the rapidly changing security environment across the Indo-Pacific and explains why maritime competition, strategic deterrence, and AUKUS matter far beyond defence circles….
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Lord Peter Ricketts, the UK’s first National Security Advisor, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and former British Ambassador to France, to unpack what Andy Burnham’s rise to Downing Street means for Britain’s place in the world. Ricketts examines why…
This could be the most controversial World Cup in history. In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Simon Chadwick, one of the world’s leading experts on the geopolitical economy of sport, to unpack the politics behind the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Chadwick challenges the term “sportswashing,” arguing…
This episode hosts Benjamin Neimark and Frederick Otu-Larbi to examine the environmental and climate consequences of modern warfare, with a particular focus on the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its rapidly escalating global impact. The conversation explores how conflict is generating emissions at unprecedented speed and scale, with millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide released…
Business leaders are operating in a harsher, more expensive, and more politically volatile environment, where geopolitics is now showing up directly in fuel costs, inflation, supply chains, capital markets, alliance structures, and executive decision-making. I’m Dominic Bowen, host of The International Risk Podcast, where we unpack the issues shaping business, leadership, and global risk. Today,…
This episode hosts Professor Anja Shortland, returning to the podcast following her previous appearance in 2021, to examine how ransomware has evolved into a sophisticated and highly organised form of cybercrime, operating as a global market shaped by incentives, reputation, and weak governance. The conversation explores the scale of the threat, with billions in annual losses,…
Violent crime in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has for decades imposed a heavy toll on lives and economic performance. Outside of active war zones, the region remains the most violent in the world, accounting for roughly one-third of global homicides despite just 8% of the global population. The economic consequences are equally severe….
For years, disinformation has been framed primarily as a political or media problem, associated with election interference, bot networks, and foreign influence campaigns. It is often treated as something external to core systems. It is portrayed as an issue for platforms, regulators, or communications teams to manage. Yet this framing obscures a more complex and…
