Episode 356: War on the Climate: Conflict, Carbon, and the Hidden Cost of War in Iran with Benjamin Neimark and Frederick Otu-Larbi

ByElla Burden

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…

Episode 355: Leading under Pressure in a More Volatile and Compounded Crisis Environment with Jon-Paul Gabriele

ByAnna Kummelstedt

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,…

Episode 352: Inside the Ransomware Economy: Incentives, Governance, and Risk with Anja Shortland

ByElla Burden

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,…

Woman writing on a protest sign during a demonstration against violence in an urban setting.

Violence as a Tax on Development: Growth, Risk, and Policy Failure in Latin America

ByElla Burden

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….

Disinformation as Risk: Trust, Markets, and Influence

Disinformation as Risk: Trust, Markets, and Influence

ByKeir Fairley

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…

Episode 335: Water Scarcity and Systemic Risk in Iran with Milad Jafari

ByAnna Kummelstedt

Iran is facing what many experts describe as a looming state of “water bankruptcy”— a crisis where demand has so profoundly outstripped supply that the very foundations of economic stability, social cohesion, and national security are under strain. From drying reservoirs in Tehran to collapsing aquifers and land subsistence, water is no longer just an…

Professor Tim Lang

Professor Tim Lang

ByElla Burden

Tim Lang is Emeritus Professor of Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London, and founding Director of the Centre for Food Policy established in 1994 as a leading centre for research and education on food system dynamics. His research and scholarship focuses on the intersections of health, environment, politics, and society within modern…

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…

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…

international risk strategic foresight

Global Risk Landscape in November 2025

Byadmin

Strategic Overview of the International Risk Landscape The world is experiencing heightened geopolitical instability, international risk, and shifting alliances. Major conflicts from Russia’s war in Ukraine to turmoil in the Middle East that are reshaping global power dynamics and straining international security. Rivalries between great powers have intensified, with authoritarian states like Russia, China, and…