In this episode, we host Edmund Fitton-Brown to explore how Iran projects power beyond its borders through proxies, criminal networks, intelligence services, and deniable operations. Drawing on his experience as a former British Ambassador to Yemen and former senior United Nations expert on ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Edmund explains why Iran’s external operations cannot be understood simply through the language of “sleeper cells” or conventional state espionage.

We discuss why Iran’s threat model is increasingly hybrid, asymmetric, and difficult to categorise. From the Houthis’ role in the Red Sea and Hezbollah’s weakened but still significant position in Lebanon, to alleged Iranian-backed plots in the UK, the use of organised criminals, the evolving relationship between Iran and al-Qaeda, and the wider breakdown of international counterterrorism cooperation after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this conversation offers a timely guide to how state-backed coercion, terrorism, proxy warfare, and organised crime now overlap.

Edmund Fitton-Brown is a former British diplomat and counterterrorism specialist. He joined the UK Foreign Service in 1984 and served in several Middle Eastern and European postings, including as British Ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017. He later joined the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Monitoring Team, becoming Coordinator in 2018 and leading work on sanctions and global threat assessment relating to ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Taliban until 2022. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, a RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, and co-host of the CounterPod podcast. His work focuses on Iran, terrorism, proxy warfare, Middle East security and the state-backed threats that blur the boundaries between intelligence activity, organised crime and political violence.

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

Tell us what you liked!

This episode hosts Dr Peter Solomon to examine the widening gap between our capacity to build transformative technologies and our ability to govern them, with a particular focus on the international risks that emerge when innovation outpaces regulation. The conversation explores how rapid technological advancement is reshaping the global risk landscape at unprecedented speed and scale, with artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and emerging technologies creating governance vacuums that states and institutions are struggling to fill. We discuss how the risks of ungoverned technology are understood in practice, breaking it down across the domains of development, deployment, and geopolitical competition, and why these risks remain largely absent from mainstream policy and security frameworks.

Peter R. Solomon, PhD is a Physicist, Entrepreneur, Educator, and Author with over 60 years of experience in scientific research, technology development, and science education. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Advanced Fuel Research, a technology development firm in East Hartford, Connecticut, and CEO of TheBeamer, an educational media company.

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!

This episode hosts Benjamin Neimark and Frederick Otu-Larbi to examine the environmental and climate consequences of modern warfare, with a particular focus on the ongoing conflict involving Iran and its rapidly escalating global impact. The conversation explores how conflict is generating emissions at unprecedented speed and scale, with millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide released in just weeks through fuel consumption, munitions, and the destruction of infrastructure. We discuss how the climate impact of war is measured in practice, breaking it down into pre-conflict preparation, active combat operations, and post-conflict reconstruction, and why these emissions remain largely absent from mainstream policy and security analysis.

The episode also considers the broader environmental implications of targeting energy infrastructure, including oil depots, refineries, and desalination plants, and how these attacks create complex spillovers such as air pollution, water contamination, and long-term ecological damage. A central theme is the disconnect between immediate, visible impacts of war, such as casualties and physical destruction, and the slower, less visible climate consequences that accumulate over time. We also explore how conflict reshapes global energy systems, drives supply chain disruption, and accelerates both fossil fuel dependence and, in some cases, the transition toward alternative energy sources.

Benjamin Neimark is a Reader at the School of Business and Management whose research focuses on the political ecology of global supply chains, resource extraction, and the environmental impacts of militarisation and conflict. Frederick Otu-Larbi is a researcher at the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Ghana, specialising in the quantification of emissions linked to warfare and reconstruction.

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!