x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The International Risk Podcast

Welcome to The International Risk Podcast — the premier destination for high-level insights into global risk dynamics. Hosted by Dominic Bowen, an accomplished senior advisor, each episode delivers expert analysis and actionable intelligence on today’s most pressing international risks. From geopolitical tensions and economic upheavals to cybersecurity threats and environmental challenges, we bring clarity to the complex risks shaping our world.Tailored for CEOs, Board Members, senior managers, and

business management

All Episodes

32:56

Episode 288: Human Trafficking with Ludmila Bogdan

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/20

Human trafficking isn’t a single story, it’s a global web of exploitation that takes many forms. In this episode with Dr. Ludmila Bogdan, we explore the different types of human trafficking and the challenges in accurately estimating its scope. We dive into the contrasts between sex trafficking and labour trafficking, uncover operational constraints and data biases, and examine how systemic differences in victim identification and gender stereotypes distort our understanding of who is affecte...

en-gb

31:35

Episode 287: Forging Solutions for Verifiable...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/19

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Tuana Yazici and Steven Adler on The International Risk Podcast to examine the challenge of verifiable maritime intelligence in an era of shadow fleets, uneven enforcement, and rapidly advancing remote sensing technologies. They discuss how traditional surveillance struggles to track unregistered or deliberately obscured vessels, and how satellite imagery, SAR, radiofrequency detection, and AIS data can be combined to identify evasive behaviour at sea. Yet, evidence...

en-gb

25:25

Episode 286: The Current Political Landscape in...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/16

In this episode we explore the evolving political landscape of Kosovo with Serbeze Haxhiaj. We discuss the questions of ethnic identity, economic opportunity, and minority integration and their continuation to shape Kosovo's future. Find out more about how media narratives influence public perception, the positive role of civil society, and the challenges facing EU-brokered negotiations. From frozen conflicts and international risks to the growing frustration of Kosovo’s younger generation, t...

en-gb

30:37

Episode 285: Sudan Now - Famine, Foreign Backers, and...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/14

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Dr. Amgad Fareid Eltayeb on The International Risk Podcast to examine Sudan’s engineered famine, the influence of foreign backers, and the struggle of civilians caught between paramilitary violence and geopolitical ambition. They discuss how starvation, siege tactics, and external intervention have become central features of the war, driving one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Together they explore how regional power competition, gold extraction netw...

en-gb

29:21

Episode 284: Eyes on the Earth, Power in Orbit:...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/12

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Sabrina Alam on The International Risk Podcast to explore the intersection of Earth observation, ESG verification, and the geopolitics of space-based data. They discuss how satellites have become central to sustainability reporting, climate monitoring, and economic decision-making, while also forming part of critical infrastructure and geopolitical competition. Together they examine how ownership, access, and governance of orbital data are shaping transparency, sove...

en-gb

32:03

Episode 283: Humanitarian Crisis in the Sahel with...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/09

The Sahel stands at a crossroad, it is torn by crisis, instability, and shifting power. Join Dr. Jessica Moody and Dominic Bowen as they dive deep into the region’s unfolding humanitarian emergency. What does ECOWAS’s withdrawal mean for the people? How is Russian influence rewriting the rules? And why are jihadist groups gaining ground? From Bamako’s frontlines to the corridors of power, this is your inside look at the struggles shaping the Sahel’s future! Dr. Jessica Moody is a political ri...

en-gb

42:55

Episode 282: Live from Ukraine with Dominic Bowen:...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/07

Today, our host Dominic Bowen joins live from Ukraine on The International Risk Podcast for a special episode examining resilience, leadership, and hybrid warfare in the heart of Europe’s most critical conflict. In conversation with one of our international relations specialist, Dominic reflects on daily life in Kyiv amid the largest drone and missile attacks since the full-scale invasion began, the extraordinary resolve of Ukrainian society, and the lessons this holds for governments and bus...

en-gb

27:09

Episode 281: Protests and Public Dissident in Serbia...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/04

In this episode, Dominic Bowen hosts Vjosa Musliu to analyse the growing wave of protests and dissent across Serbia. Together, they examine the EU’s influence, the controversial lithium extraction agreement, and the role of media bias in shaping public opinion. From political repression to Serbia–Kosovo tensions, they trace how civil rights and democracy are being tested in one of Europe’s most complex regions. Vjosa Musliu is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the VUB. Her ...

en-gb

31:03

Episode 280: Paralysis by Consensus: The Collapse of...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/11/03

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 to be the final round of talks on a global plastic treaty ended not with a breakthrough but with collapse. Despite two draft texts, delegates left Geneva without a consen...

en-gb

26:27

Episode 279: The Role of Organised Crime Groups in...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/29

In this episode, Dominic Bowen is joined by César Muñoz Acebes to examine the deepening crisis in the Amazon. They unpack the role of organized crime in environmental destruction, the links to drug trafficking and illegal economies, and the devastating consequences for local communities and global stability. A critical look at how crime, politics, and the environment intersect in one of the world’s most vital regions. César Muñoz Acebes is the Brazil director at Human Rights Watch, where he s...

en-gb

31:12

Episode 278: Post-Quantum Cryptography and Global...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/27

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Dr. Michele Mosca on The International Risk Podcast to explore the global urgency surrounding post-quantum cryptography and the risks quantum computing poses to modern infrastructure. They discuss how the question is no longer if but when quantum computers will break today’s encryption, the implications for global finance and critical systems, and what governments, businesses, and institutions must do now to prepare. Together they examine the pace of quantum innovat...

en-gb

38:56

Episode 277: Skyrocketing gold prices: 2025...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/22

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Dr. Moshe Lander (put link to guest profile) discuss the recent spike in gold prices in $ per ounce, which is unprecedented. Find out more about what pushes gold trends, from uncertain geopolitical trends to Trump’s threats on tariffs, and an overall mistrust in governments and institutions worldwide. The conversation also addresses the psychological aspect of the trust in gold as a secure investment coming from humanity’s social and economic history, ...

en-gb

32:59

Episode 276: China's Push to Build the World's...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/20

On 19 July 2025, China began construction on a 60,000-megawatt hydropower project at Medog, with three times the output of Three Gorges and roughly the UK’s entire annual power production. This is a 1.2-trillion-yuan investment (USD 1.7 B) that Beijing frames it as clean energy and development. It is located in southeast Tibert, and only 30km upstream of India. Delhi hears strategic risk. Tibetans see cultural erasure. And over 100 million people downstream are wonder who controls their tomor...

en-gb

38:53

Episode 275: Hybrid Warfare: The New Normal with...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/15

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 authentic leadership & effective communication. He travelled to Ukraine in 2016 to take up a special appointment as the ‘Strategic Communication Advisor’ to Pavl...

en-gb

48:31

Episode 274: Afghanistan: what future for the...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/12

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, and set a record of complete control of the territory in 50 years since the departure of the US military forces from the country. The conversation also addresses acute human right...

en-gb

31:40

Episode 273: America’s AI Strategy: Balancing...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/08

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 U.S. approach emphasizes open innovation and technological dominance...

en-gb

29:32

Episode 272: The Indus at Risk: Floods, Fragility and...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/06

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. And in Bishnoi village, 50% of all homes are gone—flattened or washed away. This isn’t just bad weather. It’s a lethal converge...

en-gb

46:15

Episode 271: Authoritarian Alliances: Strategic...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/10/01

Today Dominic Bowen hosts Doug Livermore on the podcast to discuss the rise of authoritarian alliances. They dive into the growing cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and their proxies, the economic and military dependencies that underpin these relationships, how authoritarian regimes leverage propaganda and “unrestricted warfare,” the role of countries like Venezuela, Sudan, and the Houthis in this expanding network, lessons from Ukraine as a testing ground for irregular ta...

en-gb

27:11

Episode 270: Syria in Turmoil: Unraveling the...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/09/28

Today Dominic Bowen hosts Broderick McDonald on the podcast to discuss the future of Syria. They dive into the different external actors and their interests, the challenges that the new government of Syria is facing, the fine line of institutional reform and unity, the need for inclusion of the minority groups, what the impact is of sanctions relief, lessons from Syria for global conflict, and much more! Broderick McDonald is a Research Fellow at Kings College London’s XCEPT Research Programm...

en-gb

32:06

Episode 269: Middle East in Transition: Non-State...

The International Risk Podcast ·

2025/09/24

In this episode Dominic Bowen speaks with Shayan Talabany, Senior Analyst and Advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, about shifting U.S. strategies in the Middle East and what they mean for governance, security, and economic opportunity across the region. They explore how the U.S. retreat from interventionism is reshaping regional power balances, whether self-reliance can bring stability, and how countries like Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are navigating enormous economic and poli...

en-gb

289 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...