The International Risk Podcast

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Jonathan Sumption discuss the fragility of democratic institutions, the strain on the rule of law, and how electoral systems — particularly First-past-the-post — shape political incentives, polarisation, and ultimately public trust. They unpack why so many citizens feel increasingly disconnected from their leaders, and what this means for the future of liberal democracies.Find out more about how constitutional norms erode not with dramatic collapse, but through incremental shifts in political behaviour, rhetoric, and executive overreach — and why institutional resilience depends as much on culture and restraint as on legal frameworks.The conversation also addresses the rise of populism, the backlash against globalization, protectionism, and the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s refusal to accept the post–Cold War settlement. They consider the economic and social drivers behind public anger, and the tensions between identity, sovereignty, and prosperity.Finally, they explore whether existing political systems can adapt, what realistic reforms might look like, and how leaders — and voters — can help rebuild legitimacy, accountability, and trust.Lord Jonathan Sumption, OBE, is one of the most distinguished legal and intellectual figures in Britain. A former Justice of the UK Supreme Court, he joined the bench in 2012 after an exceptional career at the Bar, becoming one of only a handful of barristers since the 19th century to be appointed directly to the highest court. Before entering the law, he studied history at Magdalen College, Oxford, later serving as a Fellow in History and publishing his first major work on medieval pilgrimage. Over the following decades, he built a great practice in commercial, public, EU, and constitutional law, taking Silk in 1986 and serving in various judicial and advisory roles, including as a Judicial Appointments Commissioner.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 Tell us what you liked!

Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has systemically targeted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure–especially its energy systems–as a core part of Russia’s strategy. Since the start of the war, there has been over 2000 air, drone, and artillery attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Electricity grids, nuclear power plants, transmission lines, gas facilities, dams and water supply systems have all been turned into battlegrounds. This week alone, Russia’s overnight strikes hit energy and industrial infrastructure so hard that more than a million households in Odessa were left without power. This conflict is redefining what modern war looks like, where critical infrastructure is not just collateral damage but a deliberate target, where the frontlines runs not only through trenches but through the power grids. To unpack this further, we are joined by Theresa Sabonis-Helf, she is a professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Masters program, serving as the Chair of the Science, Technology and International Affairs concentration. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College. She has lived and worked in seven countries of the former USSR and has assisted two of these countries with the development of their National Security Strategies.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.Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Melanie Meimoun discuss how organizations can move beyond static risk registers to leveraging risk intelligence as a true strategic advantage, from decentralizing decision-making to preparing for multiple possible futures rather than trying to predict the next crisis.Find out more about why gold prices have surged to record highs, how central banks are using gold as a geopolitical hedge, and what this reveals about anxiety, sovereignty, and declining trust in global financial systems.The conversation also addresses the K-shaped economy, what it really means to be “on the right side” of it, and the concrete leadership behaviors that separate those who thrive in volatility from those who merely survive -including clarity on risk appetite, forward-looking indicators, and practicing leadership at every level.Finally, they explore memory, justice, and global insecurity — from Srebrenica and the limits of international protection, to the resurgence of extremist violence and the uncomfortable truth about how hatred, fragmentation, and collective fear continue to shape world events.Melanie Meimoun is an International Relations and Communication Specialist working for the International Risk Podcast. Recently graduated from a Master's in International Public Policy at University College London, where she researched forced migration memory through the case of Tunisian Jews, she leverages a background in Politics and Philosophy at three different universities -Paris, London, and Madrid- to assess International Risk, and stay up to date on Global affairs.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 updates!Tell us what you liked!Tell us what you liked!

*This episode was recorded in October 2025*This episode with Dr Lev Breydo explores how sovereign debt has evolved into a strategic instrument of power in an era of heightened geopolitical risk. We examine how credit markets, financial infrastructure, and legal design now shape state behaviour, constrain autonomy, and function as tools of coercion below the threshold of open conflict. The discussion looks at political default, sanctions, and the weaponisation of finance, alongside record global debt levels and the growing risks facing emerging and frontier economies. We also unpack the role of the United States at the centre of the global credit system, and how domestic fiscal politics can generate international instability. Finally, the episode considers how artificial intelligence and digital finance may reshape sovereign risk, transparency, and future fault lines in the global financial order.Dr Breydo is a scholar of law, finance, and technology whose research focuses on sovereign debt markets, financial institutions, digital assets, and artificial intelligence. His work examines how legal frameworks and market structures shape power, risk, and governance in the international system, with particular attention to debt distress, sanctions, and the strategic use of financial infrastructure. He engages regularly with policymakers, academics, and market participants on issues at the intersection of geopolitics, financial stability, and emerging technologies.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 updates!Tell us what you liked!

This episode with Romane Dideberg explores responsible mineral sourcing in the context of rising geopolitical risk, with a focus on the Sahel. We examine how insecurity, military coups, and shifting alliances are reshaping control over critical minerals, driving resource nationalism, and complicating governance in fragile and conflict-affected states. Moreover, we also look at corruption, the role of civil society, and the realities of artisanal and small-scale mining. We unpack what traceability can, and cannot, achieve in mineral supply chains, and why responsible sourcing must go beyond tick-box compliance to genuinely improve governance, livelihoods, and long-term stability.Romane Dideberg is a researcher at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. She works within the institute’s Africa Programme, engaging with policymakers, researchers, private sector, and international organisations on key policy challenges across the African continent. Her research focuses on peace and security dynamics and political developments in West Africa and the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, and the Great Lakes region. Her areas of expertise include the political economy of conflict, resource governance, extractive industries, African statehood, and state–society relations. Before joining Chatham House, she worked at LSE IDEAS, the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think tank.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 updates!Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Aidan Hehir discuss the legacy of the Srebrenica genocide, the politics of remembrance, and why, nearly thirty years later, the region continues to struggle with denial, revisionism, and rising ethnic tensions.Find out more about how competing narratives have shaped post-war identities, the role of international courts in establishing the historical record, and the impact of recent political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Republika Srpska.The conversation also addresses the fragility of peace in the Western Balkans, the limitations of international interventions, the erosion of democratic norms, and the dangers posed by nationalist rhetoric and historical distortion.Finally, they explore what meaningful remembrance should look like, how civil society can counter denial, and whether the international community is equipped or willing to prevent future atrocities in the region.Aidan Hehir is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster, where he has taught since 2007 after positions at the University of Sheffield and the University of Limerick, where he also earned his PhD in 2005. He is Course Leader for the postgraduate programmes in International Relations, International Relations and Security, and International Relations and Democratic Politics, and teaches modules on humanitarian intervention and international security. His research focuses on transitional justice, humanitarian intervention, and statebuilding in Kosovo. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including Kosovo and the Internationals: Hope, Hubris and the End of History (2024) and Hollow Norms and the Responsibility to Protect (2019) - winner of the British International Studies Association’s prize for best book on intervention and R2P.  His publications include over fifty book chapters and journal articles in leading outlets such as Ethics and International Affairs, and Cooperation and Conflict. He is co-editor of the Routledge Intervention and Statebuilding series, a founding co-convenor of the BISA Working Group on the Responsibility to Protect, and has delivered more than a hundred conference papers worldwide. 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 equipsTell us what you liked!

2025 wasn't just a year with a few bumps, it really was a live fire activity when it comes to leadership, business models, political systems and geopolitics and I think we've had some amazing guests on the International Risk Podcast this year. I'm Dominic Bowen, host of the International Risk Podcast and as wars are dragging on, new ones are flickering at the edges, we've got supply chains being put under stress, significant gaps between the wealthy and those that are struggling to make ends meet, there is no shortage of international risks for us to be discussing and today I'm joined by one of my colleagues, Melanie Mamoun. 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.Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Robert Pratten discuss why storytelling is one of the most powerful (and underused) tools in crisis management, which shapes how leaders, their teams, and organisations behave under pressure.Find out more about how immersive, narrative-driven crisis simulations build confidence, reveal real decision-making styles, and change behaviour in ways that traditional plans, policies, and PowerPoint exercises cannot.The conversation also addresses leadership engagement, organisational culture, information warfare, and why awareness and punishment fail to improve crisis readiness without experiential learning.Finally, they explore how open feedback, realistic rehearsal, and story-based training can transform crisis preparedness from a compliance exercise into a true strategic advantage.Robert Pratten is a UK-based transmedia storyteller, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Conducttr, a crisis-simulation platform used for training, exercises, and information operations simulation. He’s also the author of a practical guide on transmedia storytelling and regularly comments on the overlap between story design and simulation. 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. 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 updates!Tell us what you liked!

Today, Dominic Bowen hosts Dr Andrew Mumford on The International Risk Podcast to examine how grey zone warfare, hybrid tactics and strategic ambiguity are reshaping the contemporary security environment. They explore why sub-threshold activity has become a central feature of modern geopolitics, how states exploit ambiguity and deniability to pursue strategic objectives without triggering open conflict, and why these methods increasingly challenge traditional approaches to deterrence, escalation and international law.The conversation examines how cyber operations, disinformation, sabotage, proxy warfare and infrastructure interference generate cumulative effects that erode resilience, undermine public trust and complicate decision-making for governments, businesses and societies. Together, they discuss why hybrid threats are best understood not as isolated tactics but as part of a broader risk-management approach to conflict, and what this means for democratic resilience, public-private cooperation and the future of indirect warfare.Dr Andrew Mumford is Professor of War Studies at the University of Nottingham. His research focuses on contemporary and historical conflict, with particular expertise in insurgency, counterinsurgency, proxy warfare and military strategy. He is the author of The Counterinsurgency Myth, The British Experience of Irregular Warfare, and The West’s War Against ISIS. His work examines how states manage risk, legitimacy and escalation in modern conflict, offering insights that inform policymakers, security practitioners and institutions grappling with the rise of hybrid and grey zone warfare.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.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 Tell us what you liked!

In this episode, Dominic Bowen and Hesham Youssef discuss the growing tensions between Egypt and Israel, the fragile state of regional diplomacy, and the pressures placed on long-standing agreements such as the Camp David Accords. Find out more about why Egypt views forced displacement from Gaza as an existential red line, how humanitarian access has become a major point of contention, and the shifting political dynamics inside Israel that are influencing regional instability. The conversation also addresses the role of the United States and Europe in shaping (or failing to shape) constructive pathways toward peace, as well as Egypt’s mediation efforts across repeated Gaza conflicts. Finally, they explore the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the future of Palestinian governance, and the personal diplomatic experiences that have shaped Ambassador Youssef’s understanding of what is still possible in the Middle East.Hesham Youssef is an Egyptian career diplomat and conflict-resolution expert with over three decades of experience in Middle Eastern diplomacy. He has served in senior roles at the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and as a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. Currently a Senior Advisor at the European Institute of Peace, Youssef specializes in humanitarian affairs, Arab-Israeli relations, and institutional reform in the Arab world. His career reflects a lifelong commitment to dialogue, peacebuilding, and multilateral diplomacy across the Islamic world.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.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 updates!Tell us what you liked!Tell us what you liked!