Cormac Smith

Cormac Smith

Cormac Smith works at the intersection of authentic leadership & effective communication. He travelled to Ukraine in 2016 to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor’ to Pavlo Klimkin, the then Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Cormac was attached to the British Embassy in Kyiv but was embedded in Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign…

Episode 275: Hybrid Warfare: The New Normal with Cormac Smith

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into the ongoing war with Cormac Smith today. Dominic and Cormac discuss Mariupol, whether the war can be considered genocide, the disinformation war, the reality of Russian aggression, war crimes, hybrid warfare, the need for unity, and more! Today we are joined by Cormac Smith. Cormac works at the intersection of…

Ukraine

Ukraine at a Strategic Inflection: Risk, Pressure, and Uncertainty

Written by Elisa Garbil – 16.10.2025 Late in the night of 4–5 October 2025, Russian forces launched one of the more intense combined missile-and-drone assaults of the war. According to Ukrainian officials, more than 50 ballistic and cruise missiles, along with nearly 500 drones, struck nine regions across the country, hitting energy infrastructure, civilian districts, and industrial…

Antoine Renaux

Antoine Renaux

Antoine Renaux is an Economic Intelligence & Geopolitics Analyst, his expertise lies in defence and security policy, economic intelligence, and geopolitical risk analysis. His career spans strategic intelligence, public affairs, and policy analysis roles across both public and private sectors, giving him a nuanced, operational understanding of complex international dynamics. His key areas of expertise…

Military, Russia, War, Invasion

Escalation Risks in Eastern Europe and the Shadow of World War III

Written by Elisa Garbil – 18.09.2025 The geopolitical temperature in Eastern Europe has been rising sharply. In recent weeks, Poland has found itself at the forefront of a dangerous escalation between NATO and Russia. Russian drones have repeatedly intruded into Polish airspace, testing both Poland’s defensive capabilities and NATO’s collective resolve. Warsaw has responded decisively, scrambling jets,…

Episode 267: Drones Over Poland, Drills on the Border: How Moscow Tests NATO’s Resolve with Antoine Renaux

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil With the Zapad Military exercises occurring again near the Polish border, Dominic Bowen has Antoine Renaux on the podcast. They analyse the challenges of NATO, Russia’s probing operations, NATO’s response, and more importantly, NATO’s preparedness. Find out more about Article 5 and the potential scenarios, why hybrid warfare and cyber attacks are…

NATO at a Strategic Crossroads: Unity, Pressure, and the Future of Collective Defence

NATO at a Strategic Crossroads: Unity, Pressure, and the Future of Collective Defence

In a recent episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen was joined by Professor Jamie Shea, one of NATO’s most experienced insiders and former Deputy Assistant Secretary General, to examine the Alliance at a moment of profound transformation. With nearly four decades of service at NATO, Dr. Shea offered a candid and deeply…

Episode 263: NATO in a Shifting World and the Next Chapter of Collective Defence with Dr. Jamie Shea

In this episode Dominic Bowen and Dr. Jamie Shea unpack NATO at a moment of historic change. Find out more about how fear has re-emerged as a unifying force within the Alliance, the political and economic challenges of reaching unprecedented defence spending levels, industrial bottlenecks and Ukraine’s role as a partner in innovation and supply,…

Episode 262: Global Implications of the Alaskan Summit with David Dunn

Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Today Dominic Bowen hosts David Dunn back on the podcast. They discuss the recent Alaskan Summit and its global implications. Find out more about the symbolic wins for Putin, and which ones they are exactly. The American unpreparedness and what its implications are, what the result is for Ukraine, how the EU decided to…