The International Risk Podcast

This episode with David Mora examines the evolving landscape of organised crime in Mexico, moving beyond narratives focused solely on drug trafficking to explore the broader systems of control, violence, and economic extraction that underpin cartel activity. We discuss how criminal groups have diversified across sectors, why strategies targeting cartel leaders have often led to fragmentation rather than stability, and how territorial control enables expansion into activities such as extortion and migrant smuggling.David Mora is the Mexico Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group, where he researches organised crime, violence, corruption, and conflict dynamics. His work combines fieldwork, investigative reporting, and policy analysis to understand how criminal groups operate across different regions of Mexico. He has reported for Vice News, NBC News, ProPublica, and The Atlantic, covering issues including cartel dynamics, migration, and governance.The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, we host Dr Stanislaw Domaniewski to explore life on Europe’s eastern borders, focusing on Kaliningrad, the Polish-Russian frontier, and the politics of the European Union’s external edge. Drawing on his work on cross-border cooperation, border mobility, and the lived experience of border communities, Dr Domaniewski explains why these regions matter far beyond lines on a map. They are places where trade, identity, security, and geopolitics meet, and where wider tensions between Russia and Europe are often felt first.We discuss how Kaliningrad moved from being a space of everyday exchange to one of growing isolation, and what that has meant for the people living on both sides of the border. From local trade and service economies to militarisation, amber smuggling, migration pressure via Belarus, and the hardening of borders across Finland and the Baltic region, this conversation offers a grounded look at how macro-level decisions shape ordinary lives. It also asks what borderlands can tell us about Europe’s changing security landscape, and why the clearest signs of geopolitical change often appear at the periphery first.Dr Domaniewski is currently a Grant Writer at LUT University in Finland. His published work has examined the small border traffic zone between Poland and the Kaliningrad region, the role of border permeability in shaping local development, and, more recently, how residents of Kaliningrad have adapted to isolation and changing border conditions after Russia’s war against Ukraine.The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked! Tell us what you liked!

Today on The International Risk Podcast, we turn to the accelerating transformation of the global economy through artificial intelligence. Firms are making aggressive bets on future demand, and mid-market companies are grappling with rising costs, limited visibility, and mounting pressure to prove ROI.To help us make sense of this, we’re joined by Craig Unsworth, a portfolio Chief Product Officer and Non-Executive Director working at the intersection of private equity, AI, and product transformation. With over two decades of experience and more than 60 transactions across SaaS, data, and B2B services, Craig works closely with private equity firms and their portfolio companies to drive growth and deliver high-impact, product-led transformations.For more of Craig’s work, check out his Substack: http://chieflyproduct.substack.com/The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

Today on The International Risk Podcast, we turn to Lebanon, where Israel’s invasion, the subsequent displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians, and political fracture are colliding in ways that could reshape Lebanon for years. As the conflict on the Lebanese front deepens, the questions are no longer just about ceasefires or border tensions, but about forced displacement, civilian survival, psychological warfare, the future of Hezbollah, and whether Lebanon is being pushed toward a far more dangerous breaking point. To help us make sense of it, I’m joined by Paul Hefel-James, a Beirut-based freelance journalist who reports on migration, refugees, conflict, and the humanitarian crisis across the Middle East. His previous publications include explorations of labor migration in Lebanon, Syrian archives and reconstruction and the displacement crisis during the Israel-Hezbollah war. His work has appeared in DAWN's Democracy in Exile, New Internationalist and The Progressive. He is also the author of the Substack, Wayward Bound: https://waywardbound.substack.com/The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, we host Norman Leach to explore whether Canada is entering a new era in defence policy. Drawing on his background in military history, defence commentary, and international business, Norman examines the deeper strategic questions now facing Ottawa: how sovereign Canadian defence policy really is, how far Canada can afford to depend on the United States, and what a more uncertain relationship with Washington means for Canada’s future security posture. Set against growing concern over Arctic security, renewed debate over defence spending, and wider questions about alliance cohesion, this conversation looks at how Canada is being forced to rethink the balance between dependence, sovereignty, and strategic credibility.We discuss whether the core problem in Canadian defence policy is underinvestment, overreliance on the United States, or a deeper lack of strategic clarity. We also explore the tension between sovereignty and interdependence through NORAD, the challenge of reducing dependence on U.S. defence procurement without undermining interoperability, and the extent to which Ottawa’s growing focus on the Arctic reflects a genuine strategic shift rather than simply a response to political uncertainty in Washington.Norman Leach is a Canadian military historian, writer, public speaker, and defence-industry leader whose work spans military history, strategic commentary, and international business. He holds a degree in Political Science and History from the University of Manitoba, has contributed to Canadian Defence Review and other military and historical journals, and has written widely on war, peacekeeping, leadership, and the evolution of Canada’s armed forces.The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked!

The global landscape feels increasingly unsettled. Conflict in the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine to wider geoplitical, technological and climatic shifts, the world is going though a period of rapid change. At the same time, the nature of conflict and the way it’s reported has changed dramatically over the past few decades.So today we’re stepping back to look at the bigger picture: how the global risk landscape has changed, how today’s conflicts compare to those of previous decades, and what today’s crisis might tell us about where things are heading next. Our guest today is one of the most experienced foreign correspondents in British journalism.Humphrey Hawksley is an award-winning author, commentator and BBC correspondent whose reporting career has taken him to conflicts and political turning points across the world for more than four decades.He has reported on the Sri Lankan civil war, on the Yugoslav wars, the War on Terror, the rise of many Asian countries with postings in Hong Kong, the Philippines and India, and he was even tasked with opening the BBC’s first permanent television bureau in Beijing way back in 1994.Alongside his journalism, Humphrey is the author of several books on global politics and democracy, as well as bestselling political thrillers. He’s also the host of the Democracy Forum debates. You can find his books here:Rake Ozenna Series - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G4D7P7NX?tag=uklinktagbk-21&th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true Future History - Third World War series - https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/future-history/Asian Waters: The Struggly over the Indo-Pacific and the Challenge of American Power -  https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/book/asian-waters/ Democracy Kills: What's so Good about having the Vote? -                https://www.humphreyhawksley.com/book/democracy-kills-whats-so-good-about-having-the-vote/The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Tell us what you liked!

In this episode we host Ava Shen to unpack the dynamics of Taiwanese politics, the role of the DPP, KMT, and TPP, and how cross-strait tensions shape both domestic discourse and international perceptions. The conversation explores disinformation, shifting political priorities among younger voters, and key misunderstandings in the West about Taiwan and its strategic environment.Ava Shen covers Taiwan and Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics at Eurasia Group. Previously, she interned at Rhodium Group, conducting economic research on China and Taiwan. She also worked as a research assistant at the Stimson Center, focusing on Chinese foreign policy in Asia and China-West Africa cooperation on maritime environmental issues. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked!Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, we host K. Campbell to examine how the escalating conflict with Iran should be understood not only as a military confrontation but as a wider risk event with implications for shipping, supply chains, critical infrastructure, and corporate decision-making. Drawing on his background in intelligence and security risk management, Campbell explains why the key escalation indicator is the point at which the Iranian regime believes its survival is truly at stake and why threats to the Strait of Hormuz, civilian infrastructure, and international targets should be read through that lens rather than through sensational headlines.  We discuss the warning indicators he is watching most closely, why so many so-called “black swan” events are in fact failures of imagination, how red-teaming can help organisations think more clearly about escalation, and why leaders should focus less on surprise and more on preparedness. K. Campbell, CBCP, CPP® is a seasoned security and intelligence professional and former US military intelligence officer with extensive experience in security risk management, executive protection, threat assessment, and business continuity. His previous roles included leadership positions in National Security Agency units, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff, and a special operations staff, and he co-led and led highly sensitive intelligence and planning efforts against North Korea and Iran, including war planning against Iran’s WMD programmes. He has also led and co-led business continuity planning in four organisations, served on the technical committee that updated the ASIS International security risk assessment standard approved by ANSI in April 2024, and contributes to Homeland Security Today and the Domestic Preparedness Journal.The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical instability and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked! Tell us what you liked!

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Natalie Martin and Eliot Higgins about the growing impact of disinformation, digital media, and information disorder on global security and democratic resilience. As the information environment becomes faster and largely fragmented, the episode explores how trust in institutions is being challenged and how information itself is emerging as a contested space. Drawing on their joint research, Natalie Martin and Eliot Higgins discuss how open-source investigation techniques are reshaping how information can be verified, and how these methods are increasingly being adopted by journalists and news organisations. Natalie Martin is an Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, where her research focuses on disinformation, journalism, and security. Eliot Higgins is the founder of Bellingcat, an investigative organisation that has pioneered the use of open-source investigation techniques to uncover and verify information in conflict zones and complex information environments. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter. The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Subscribe for all our updates!Tell us what you liked!

You might've seen the recent Inside the Manosphere documentary by Louis Theroux. About a year ago we had this episode with Dr. Allysa Czwerinsky discussing this exact topic! If Louis Theroux’s Netflix series Inside the Manosphere opened the door, this episode of The International Risk Podcast goes further. We unpack the red pill, the black pill, online misogyny, grievance, power, and the digital ecosystems pulling young men in. This is not just about toxic influencers. It is about the ideas, identity crises, and social currents making the manosphere grow.Misogyny is no longer confined to the fringes, it’s part of the mainstream. Find out more about who is harmed, how online rhetoric shapes real-world consequences, and the blurred line between incel ideology and everyday misogyny. We explore pressures around masculinity, the darker side of “self-improvement”, and whether empathy, support spaces, and counterspeech can offer a way forward.Allysa Czerwinsky (she/her) is a Research Fellow in AI Trust and Security and PhD Candidate at the University of Manchester. Her research explores how male supremacism and misogynist extremism manifest in digital environments, accounting for the complex interplays between technology, harm, and violence. Her work traces the narratives present in stories shared to several incel-focused forums, uncovering how these stories help legitimise harm and provide additional knowledge about potential pathways into and out of inceldom. The International Risk Podcast brings you conversations with global experts, frontline practitioners, and senior decision-makers who are shaping how we understand and respond to international risk. From geopolitical volatility and organised crime, to cybersecurity threats and hybrid warfare, each episode explores the forces transforming our world and what smart leaders must do to navigate them. Whether you’re a board member, policymaker, or risk professional, The International Risk Podcast delivers actionable insights, sharp analysis, and real-world stories that matter.The International Risk Podcast is sponsored by Conducttr, a realistic crisis exercise platform. Conducttr offers crisis exercising software for corporates, consultants, humanitarian, and defence & security clients. Visit Conducttr to learn more.Dominic Bowen is the host of The International Risk Podcast and Europe’s leading expert on international risk and crisis management. As Head of Strategic Advisory and Partner at one of Europe’s leading risk management consulting firms, Dominic advises CEOs, boards, and senior executives across the continent on how to prepare for uncertainty and act with intent. He has spent decades working in war zones, advising multinational companies, and supporting Europe’s business leaders. Dominic is the go-to business advisor for leaders navigating risk, crisis, and strategy; trusted for his clarity, calmness under pressure, and ability to turn volatility into competitive advantage. Dominic equips today’s business leaders with the insight and confidence to lead through disruption and deliver sustained strategic advantage.The International Risk Podcast – Reducing risk by increasing knowledge.Follow us on LinkedIn and Subscribe for all our great updates!Tell us what you liked!