Skyrocketing Gold prices: 2025 geopolitical risks and trends

Skyrocketing Gold prices: 2025 geopolitical risks and trends

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen is joined by Dr. Moshe Lander to examine the waves of gold prices and investment trends, and what they are linked to, from investor sentiment to geopolitical instability and historic legacy. Moshe Lander is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer at Concordia University, and a…

Dr. Moshe Lander

Dr. Moshe Lander

Dr. Moshe Lander is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Concordia University, where he has taught since 2013, and a sessional instructor at Dalhousie University. Before joining academia full-time, he served as Senior Economist with the Government of Alberta from 2003 to 2007. His fields of expertise include public…

Episode 277: Skyrocketing gold prices: 2025 geopolitical risks and trends

On October 7th, 2025, gold prices soared to an all-time high of over US$4000 an ounce, and reached about US$4,380 an ounce on October 20th, a new peak that challenges even the inflation-adjusted records of the 1980s.  Today, we are joined by Dr. Moshe Lander. Moshe is a Canadian economist and Senior Lecturer at Concordia University,…

Taliban, Afghanistan

Afghanistan: what future for the country under Taliban rule?

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen is joined by Dr. Arian Sharifi, Chief Strategy Officer at PercedgeResearch, to examine the evolution of the political situation in Afghanistan since the fall of Kabul in August 2021. The conversation assesses both regional and international risks linked to terrorism, economic, humanitarian, and political risks associated with…

Dr. Arian Sharifi

Dr. Arian Sharifi

Dr. Arian Sharifi is an American-Afghan national security professional with two decades of high-level policy and academic experience. He has taught as a Lecturer and Chair of the Master’s in Public Policy Program at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, and as a lecturer at Gawharshad University in Kabul and at the American…

Episode 274: Afghanistan under Taliban rule: what future for the country?

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Dr. Arian Sharifi discuss the events leading to the fall of Kabul in August 2021 and the rise of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.   Find out more about what the Taliban have implemented in the country, how they managed to secure most of the territory from terrorism,…

The Global AI Race: Competing Visions and Rising Risks

The Global AI Race: Competing Visions and Rising Risks

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Professor Adam Chalmers about the global race for artificial intelligence leadership and the profound implications this competition holds for innovation, governance, and international risk. Chalmers, a leading voice on political economy and emerging technology, examines how the United States’ new AI Action Plan…

Professor Adam Chalmers

Professor Adam Chalmers

Adam Chalmers is the CEO and Founder of Resonate AI, where he brings together deep expertise in political science and advanced technologies to develop innovative solutions to complex societal challenges. With a PhD from McGill University, Adam’s work sits at the intersection of politics, artificial intelligence, and strategic governance. In addition to his entrepreneurial leadership, Adam is a Senior Lecturer…

Episode 273: America’s AI Strategy: Balancing Innovation, Governance, and Strategic Advantage in the Global Technology Race with Professor Adam Chalmers

Today Dominic Bowen hosts Professor Adam Chalmers on The International Risk Podcast to explore the global race for leadership in artificial intelligence. They discuss the United States’ AI Action Plan and China’s AI Plus Plan, how these competing strategies reveal different models of governance, regulation, and ideology, and what this competition means for innovation, global influence, and risk. Together they examine how the…

Episode 272: The Indus at Risk: Floods, Fragility and the Future of the Water Security in Pakistan with Dr. Erum Sattar

Pakistan is once again underwater. In the country’s north—specifically the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—torrential monsoon rains dropped 150 millimeters in under an hour. That’s six inches of rain, fast enough to overwhelm any drainage system. But here, it didn’t just flood streets—it destroyed entire communities. At least 700 people are dead. Over 100 are missing….