The International Risk Podcast

406 Episodes

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Episode 406: The World Is Normalising the Taliban with Shaharzad Akbar

2026-10-1234:31

More than five years after the Taliban returned to power, millions of Afghan women and girls remain shut out of education, work and public life, while governments around the world are quietly normalising relations with Kabul. In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, host Dominic Bowen speaks with Shaharzad Akbar, former chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and founder of Rawadari, an organisation documenting Taliban abuses and pursuing accountability f...

Episode 405: US Midterm Elections with Alex Tarascio

2026-10-0728:53

What happens when voters hear promises about cheaper living — but see their government focused elsewhere? Dominic Bowen puts that question to international pollster Alex Tarascio of Cygnal in episode #405 of The International Risk Podcast. Their conversation examines voter frustration, the US #midterm #elections and the gap between political headlines and the choices people make at the ballot box. They explore shifts in the Republican coalition, the politics of the cost of living and Iran, wh...

Episode 404: Sweden's Stalemate: Why a Winning Bloc Still Can't Form a Government

2026-10-0532:23

Sweden's voters handed the centre-left opposition a win by just three seats, 176 to 173, and yet no one can form a government. The Sweden Democrats lost ground at the ballot box, but they may still hold the key to what happens next. With investors, NATO allies and Ukraine supporters watching closely, this is a stress test for one of Europe's steadiest democracies. Host Dominic Bowen is joined by Anders Sannerstedt, a political scientist at Lund University who studies the Sweden Democrats, lo...

Episode 403: Can You Trust AI, With Herbert Roitblat

2026-10-0227:26

Before you let ChatGPT or Claude influence your next business decision, ask yourself: are you trusting the evidence or how convincing the answer sounds? Dominic Bowen joins AI researcher Herbert Roitblat, author of Algorithms Are Not Enough, to examine what business leaders should demand from artificial intelligence, and where human judgment remains essential. Drawing on his experience as a senior management consultant, Dominic explains why telling a client “I’m not confident yet” can be more...

Episode 402: Inside the Fight for Africa's Minerals

2026-09-2829:13

In this episode of The International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Sarah Logan about the global race to secure Africa's critical minerals. The discussion examines how China, the US, and Europe are positioning themselves in this race, and whether African countries can move beyond simply hosting the competition. It also explores why refining is the real choke point in this race, and why China's head start there now gives it a durable structural advantage. The conversation explores: -...

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