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In this episode, we speak to Nicolás Prados of Southern Pulse about election fraud, election security, and how to steal an election.  Nicolás Prados is Projects Lead at Southern Pulse, focusing mainly on political risk and organized crime. Originally from Spain, he has worked for a number of years in Mexico, before obtaining a DPhil in History and an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the U...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Angela Lewis and Caleb Gilbert on stalkers, bodyguards, protective intelligence, and the world of celebrities.  Dr. Angela Lewis is the Head of Global Intelligence, Investigations, and Threat Management for a talent agency that represents many of the most well-known sports and entertainment figures; she is also an adjunct professor and teaches intelligence c...

In this episode, we chat with Robert K. Wittman on art robberies, heists, and protective security in the art world.  Robert K. Wittman is the former Senior Investigator and Founder of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Art Crime Team. Robert joined the FBI as a Special Agent in 1988 and during his 20 year career with the Bureau, he recovered more than $300 million worth of stol...

In Season 1, we talked about “ How to hijack a ship ”, and earlier in this season, we talked about “ How to deliver a ransom ”. Today, we’re following on from these two episodes to discuss “How to close a shipping lane” with three fantastic guests. Firstly, we have Daniel Giordanio. Daniel is the Senior Threat Intelligence Manager at shipping giant AP Moller Maersk, where he focuses on assessing a...

Today, we speak with Professor Luca Trenta on assassinations, targeted killings, and the history of such tactics. Dr Trenta is an Associate Professor in International Relations in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and International Relations, Swansea University. His research focuses on the US government’s involvement in the assassination of foreign officials from the Cold War to the present...

Following on from the episode “ how to hijack a ship ” in Season 1 of this show, in this episode we sit down with Rob Phayre . Rob was a director of a crisis management consultancy based in East Africa during the peak of Somali Piracy. He worked on more than 40 kidnap for ransom cases with the majority being the release of vessels and crew kidnapped by pirates. He spent more than 18 years living i...

In this episode, we speak to Gabriel Bourdon-Fattal, Director of Programmes at the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers, on how to silence and defend whistleblowers across the globe. Gabriel Bourdon-Fattal is the Director of Programmes at the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and co-director of Climate Whistleblowers. Gabriel is an experienced human rights jurist and campaigner. Among oth...

In this episode, we speak to the pseudonymous F. X. Regan about the ins and outs of bank robberies.  The pseudonymous F.X. Regan was a street police officer in a major metropolitan police department, a SWAT team member, and is a retired FBI agent. After his 33 year career in law enforcement, he served as VP and COO for security at two large companies. In addition to writing full-time, he is a...

In this episode, we speak to Colonel Olivier Mas about his experience as a clandestine officer for France's DGSE, the work that goes into creating backstories, and the high stakes world of covert Human Intelligence.  A graduate of the École de Guerre, Colonel Mas worked for 15 years at the DGSE.  His first years were spent in service to a special unit dedicated to undercover operations....

In this episode, we speak to former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez about faking identities in the world of espionage and intelligence.  Jonna was recruited into the CIA in 1966, where she lived and worked undercover in multiple countries across Europe and Asia. Jonna’s work included denied area operations in complex and high risk locations such as Moscow, East Germany, and Cuba. During he...

In this episode, we speak to Theresa Campobasso about the threats facing supply chains across the world.  Theresa Campobasso  is Senior Vice President of Strategy at Exiger, a Supply Chain Security software company, where her operational and technical strategies drive success for both federal government organisations and private industry. She has spent over 15 years in supply chain secur...

In this episode, we talk about misinformation, disinformation, and troll farms in the 21st century with Olga Belogolova and Regina Morales. Olga Belogolova is the Director of the Emerging Technologies Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She is also a professor at the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at SAIS, where she teaches a course on...

In this episode, we speak to Max Hess and Nicholas Michelon about economic warfare. Maximilian Hess is a political risk analyst and consultant, as well as a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Max is the founder of Enmetena Advisory. Max speaks German, Russian, Georgian and Spanish, and has written for the Financial Times, the New Statesman and Foreign Policy, alongside a regular colu...

In today's episode we speak to Dr. Maria Robson-Morrow and Holden Triplett about the fascinating world of corporate espionage. Dr. Maria Robson-Morrow is the Program Manager at the Harvard Kennedy School's Intelligence Project. She worked as a global security intelligence analyst at Nexen Energy in Canada and then as an independent security intelligence consultant before returning to academia to s...

In this episode, we speak with Dr. James Patton Rogers on how to conduct a drone attack. Dr. James Patton Rogers is the Executive Director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University. An expert on disruptive technologies and the history of weaponry and war, James currently advises the United Nations and NATO on the global proliferation of drones and 4IR systems. James also wo...

In this episode, we talk to Vitaly Fedchenko on nuclear security. Vitaly Fedchenko is a Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme. He has worked at SIPRI since 2005 and has 20 years of experience in nuclear security research and nuclear security assistance program implementation. He received a Master’s degree in nuclear materials protection, control and accounting in 2...

In this episode, we speak to Anne Devaud, global head of product security at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms, about the threats posed by pharmacrime gangs. She has spent the last 25 years in both the private sector, and in France’s customs enforcement agency combating crimes such as smuggling and counterfeiting. Anne holds a Masters in political science from the Institute Etudes Po...

Today, we discuss money laundering in the modern and everchanging world. Yaya is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security where his research focuses on crypto, blockchain, and central bank digital currencies. Earlier in his career, he spent seven years as both an economic and counterterrorism analyst in the CIA, where he regularly briefed federal law enforcement, U.S. mil...

On this episode, we discuss combat reporting, warzones, and how to survive them with Rosie Garthwaite. Rosie is an executive producer at BBC World Service's Investigations Unit, and is currently based in London making documentaries and interactives about the Middle East and North Africa. She founded Mediadante, producing the Emmy-nominated, “The Workers Cup”, that premiered on the opening night of...

In this episode, we discuss the security of deep-sea internet cables with Dr. Bruce Jones. Bruce Jones is a senior fellow with the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution; he also works with the Center for East Asia Policy Studies, and is a consulting professor at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University. Hi...

On this episode, we speak to former CIA operative Marc Polymeropoulos on how to recruit a spy. Marc retired from the Senior Intelligence Service ranks in 2019 after serving for 26 years in the Intelligence Community in operational field and leadership assignments. He is an expert in counterterrorism, covert action, and human intelligence collection. Marc is one of the IC's most highly decorated fi...

In our next episode, we interview Dr. Neil Bradbury on poisons and their uses. Dr Bradbury is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and the University of Wales School of Medicine, with degrees in Biochemistry and Medical Biochemistry. Although he grew up in the UK, he now lives and works in Illinois, USA, where he’s a scientist, teacher and writer. His first book “A Taste for Po...

In the first episode of our second season, we interview Mick Ryan on how to invade a country. Mick Ryan is a retired major general in the Australian Army. A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the U.S. Marine Corps University Command and Staff College and School of Advanced Warfighting. He has commanded at platoon, squadron, regiment, task force, a...

In the Season 1 finale, we discuss the threats posed to journalists around the world with Dr Mark Grant. Dr Grant is the head of high risk, safety and security at Sky News, and has operated in high-risk environments around the world for nearly 2 decades and has supported and directly managed security for the BBC and CNN. Mark holds a doctorate in security risk management, with a focus on journalis...

In the penultimate installment of the first season of the podcast, we discuss the threats to global shipping posed by piracy, state actors, and other dangers with two members of the Encyclopedia Geopolitica team. Cormac Mc Garry is an Associate Director at the specialist risk consultancy Control Risks, where he heads up their maritime security intelligence and analysis services. Most of his work i...