I am Dominic Bowen, and I am the host of the International Risk Podcast. At 7am on the 15th of August, after ten days of marathon sessions and a final overtime session that stretched more than 24 hours, the Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution formally adjourned INC-5.2. What was meant…
“Consensus is worth seeking if it moves us forward, not if it stalls the process” Senimili Nakora, Fiji Delegate at The UN Plastic Treaty Talks in Geneva At 7am on 15 August 2025, the chair of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on plastic pollution formally closed what was meant to be the final negotiation…
Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Currently, she serves as an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She has provided advisory services to policymakers, US and…
Written by Elisa Garbil – 28.08.2025 The transformation of Yemen’s Houthi movement from a marginal insurgency to a disruptive regional force marks one of the most significant non-state evolutions in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Their growing military capabilities, ideological expansion, and strategic autonomy have positioned the Houthis as not just a local Yemeni problem but a geopolitical…
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into the intricacies of the Houthis with Nadwa Al-Dawsari! Nadwa and Dominic discuss the background of the Houthis, where they come from, what their ideology is, what influence they have, economical and geopolitical implications both for Yemen and the world, how they currently govern Norther Yemen, what the international response…
Written by Elisa Garbil – 18.07.2025 On the 27th of June 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Rwanda signed a landmark peace agreement in Washington, D.C., mediated by the United States and Qatar. This deal is meant to be potential turning point in the region’s turbulent history, the deal, which has…
Joshua Z. Walker is the Director of Programs of the Congo Research Group at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC). He has been working in and researching the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 2004. Before joining CIC, he was a research associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in Johannesburg, South Africa. He…
Author: Camila Mateos Betancourt In a world where tensions evolve across different regions, keeping up with global events can be overwhelming. At The International Risk Podcast, we believe it is crucial to bring attention to issues that may not always dominate news feeds or social media timelines. Explore our episodes on the situation in El…
Bram Verelst works at the Institute for Security Studies as Senior Researcher on Conflict Prevention, Management and Peacebuilding in the Great Lakes Region. Before joining the ISS, Bram worked as a research fellow at the Department of Conflict and Development Studies, Ghent University, Belgium and as a political analyst for the Belgian Ministry of Defence,…
!!! Please note that this episode was recorded before M23 captured Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern DRC. This week on The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen sits down with Bram Verelst to examine the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the resurgence of the M23 rebellion. As the group captures key…
