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 risk professionals, our weekly episodes are essential listening for those making strategic decisions in volatile environments. With distinguished guests from diverse sectors and geographies — including renowned industry experts, policymakers, and thought leaders — we provide a multidimensional perspective, equipping you with insights to stay ahead of emerging threats and capitalize on new opportunities.
Our host, Dominic Bowen, is a senior business leader, and Partner at 2Secure where he is Head of Strategic Advisory and leads a team of senior management consultants and advisors.
Join us for engaging, thought-provoking conversations that go beyond the headlines. Stay informed, stay ahead, and transform the way you perceive and manage international risks. The International Risk Podcast is not just a podcast; it’s is crucial listening for today's leaders.
Episodes
386 episodes
Episode 385: West Africa: What Does the Climate Crisis Look Like?
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ibrahim Aboubacar Hama about climate change and its impact on food security, livelihoods, an...
Episode 384: AUKUS and the New Reality of Indo-Pacific Security with Jennifer Parker
Jennifer Parker examines the rapidly changing security environment across the Indo-Pacific and explains why maritime competition, strategic deterrence, and AUKUS matter far beyond defence circles. Drawing on her experience as a former Royal Aus...
Episode 383: Is Andy Burnham Ready for a World at War?
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Lord Peter Ricketts, the UK's first National Security Advisor, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and former British Ambassador to France, t...
Episode 382: Re-release – Inside the War in Ukraine: Strategy, Technology and the Future of Security with Elizabeth Bullock
This re-released and condensed episode with Elizabeth Bullock examines the lived reality of modern conflict in Ukraine, drawing on her three years providing frontline humanitarian aid. From evacuating civilians under fire to navigating the evol...
Episode 381: Abortion, Power, Democracy: Who Controls a Woman's Body?
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Michele Goodwin, a leading bioethicist and constitutional law scholar at Georgetown Law, to unpack the history, law, and power structures shaping repro...
Episode 380: The Future of Global Services: Risk, Resilience and AI
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Peter Bendor-Samuel, founder and executive chairman of Everest Group and one of the world's leading experts on IT services and enterprise transformation, to unpa...
Episode 379: Outsourcing to India: Managing Cyber, Legal, and Data Risks
As India cements its position as one of the world's leading technology and outsourcing hubs, international organisations face an increasingly complex cyber, legal, and regulatory environment.In this episode of The International Risk ...
Episode 378: Climate Change and the Future of War: Energy, the Arctic, and Military Readiness
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Dr Duncan Depledge about climate change and its growing impact on the world's militaries.This conversation looks at the geopolitics of the Arctic, the role of e...
Episode 377: What They're Not Telling You About the 2026 World Cup
This could be the most controversial World Cup in history. In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen is joined by Professor Simon Chadwick, one of the world's leading experts on the geopolitical economy of sport, to ...
Episode 376: Humanitarian Aid Landscape One Year After the Dismantling of USAID with Nicholas Enrich
For more than six decades, USAID sat at the centre of the global humanitarian and development system. A little over a year ago, USAID became one of the first targets of the Trump administration’s DOGE campaign. Today, the hum and development se...
Episode 375: Mapping Power: Gerrymandering, Redistricting, and the Future of US Political Power with David Daley
This episode hosts David Daley to examine the accelerating role of gerrymandering in shaping American democracy and what it reveals about the pressures facing modern electoral systems. The conversation explores his argument that democrat...
Episode 374: The Illusion of Separation: Civil-Military Coordination in Modern Conflict with David Higgins
This episode hosts David Higgins to explore the complex and often misunderstood boundary between military operations, humanitarian action, and political stabilisation in modern conflict environments. Drawing on two decades of experience across ...
Episode 373: Social Norms and Political Violence with Erez Levin
This episode hosts Erez Levin to examine the shifting boundaries of acceptable public speech and what this reveals about the health of modern democratic societies. The conversation explores his central argument that liberal democracies d...
Episode 372: Who Controls Your Health Data? Palantir, the NHS and the Risks of Digital Dependency
In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Phil Booth, coordinator of medConfidential a...
Episode 371: Mali at the Breaking Point: Insurgency, Military Rule, and the Future of the Sahel with Ulf Laessing
This episode with Ulf Laessing examines the recent escalation of unrest in Mali and what it reveals about the deeper fragmentation of authority across the central Sahel. The conversation explores how sustained insurgent pressure, weak state ins...
Episode 370: The Global Race to Detect the Next Outbreak: Ebola, Hantavirus, and the Politics of Public Health Response with Professor Meru Sheel
In this episode, we host Professor Meru Sheel to examine whether global health systems are prepared for the next major infectious-disease outbreak. Drawing on her work in infectious-disease epidemiology, vaccine research, emergency prepa...
Episode 369: Reopening the Strait: Hormuz, Sea Power, and the Fragility of Global Trade with Dr Emma Salisbury
This episode with Dr. Emma Salisbury explores how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the vulnerabilities of the global maritime system, revealing how a regional conflict can rapidly become a global economic and security crisis. The con...
Episode 368: Shadow Policing and Transnational Repression: China’s Global Campaign Against Critics with Sam Goodman
In this episode, we host Sam Goodman to explore China’s global campaign of transnational repression, shadow policing, and pressure against critics abroad. Drawing on his work on Hong Kong, UK-China relations, sanctions, the BN(O) communi...
Episode 367: From Rodents to Cruise Ships: Hantavirus and the Risks of a Hyperconnected World with Dr Giulia Gallo
In this episode, we host Dr Giulia Gallo to explore hantavirus, the recent MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak, and why a rare but serious infectious disease can generate global headlines without necessarily becoming a pandemic-style threat....
Episode 366: The UAE Exit from OPEC: Geopolitics, Energy Security, and the Shifting Gulf Balance
The Gulf is entering a period of profound geopolitical and economic uncertainty. As tensions around the Strait of Hormuz continue and global energy markets face mounting pressure, the United Arab Emirates has taken the extraordinary decision to...
Episode 365: After the Fighting Stops: Landmines and the Cost of Conflict with James Denselow from The HALO Trust
In this episode we explore the lasting impact of landmines. Across Ukraine, Syria, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and dozens of other conflict-affected countries, landmines and unexploded ordnance continue to kill, injure, and displace civilians long af...
Episode 364: Water Weaponisation in Modern Conflict with Dr. Marcus King
Across Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and now the Gulf, water systems are no longer just collateral damage. They are becoming targets and tools of coercion. Dams, desalination plants, pumping stations, rivers, reservoirs, and elect...
Episode 363: Physical Security and Workplace Safety with Michael Julian
This episode with Michael Julian explores the growing realities of workplace violence, active threats, and organisational preparedness in an increasingly volatile secu...
Episode 362: The Amazon Rainforest, Gold Mining, and the Development Dilemma in Suriname with John Goedschalk
This episode hosts John Goedschalk to examine the relationship between environmental sustainability, economic development, and long-term climate resilience in the Amazon rainforest and the Guiana Shield. The conversation explores why the forest...
Episode 361: How World Wars Begin: Great Power Competition and the Global Order with Jake Clapham
This episode with Jake Clapham explores the growing fragility of the international order, examining how institutional collapse, strategic miscalculation, and great power rivalry can transform regional crises into global conflicts. Drawing on th...