In this episode, Ross Hill and Dr. Treston Wheat discuss various geopolitical developments, including the the formation of the Critical Minerals Coalition by the US, and its implications for foreign policy and industrial strategy. They explore the bipartisan support for critical minerals, the evolving US-China relations, and the significant shifts in Japan's defense policy following its recent election. The conversation also touches on the 2026 US National Defense Strategy and how corporations must adapt to the changing geopolitical landscape.

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill and Dr. Treston Wheat discuss the evolving landscape of global politics, focusing on the implications of US foreign policy and China's strategic responses. They explore the importance of stability in international relations, the role of multilateral institutions, and the emergence of a multipolar world. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities for businesses navigating this transitionary period, emphasizing the need for adaptive strategies in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill and Dr Treston Wheat unpack a framing that helps explain why US foreign policy currently feels so disruptive to allies and markets: the United States behaving as a revisionist power. They explore how the post 1945 US role as a stabilising architect of the liberal order is giving way to a more explicitly transactional posture, where Washington engages internationally only on its own terms. The discussion connects this shift to growing pressure on Europe to rebuild defence capacity, to the declining authority of multilateral institutions, and to the way businesses should think about market access, supply chains, and long term strategic planning as the global order fragments.

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, hosts Ross Hill and Dr. Treston Wheat delve into the importance of bold inferences in analysis, particularly within the context of geopolitical and business intelligence. They discuss the historical trend of neutrality in analysis, which often leads to vague conclusions, and argue for a more assertive approach that clearly communicates insights and forecasts. Dr. Wheat emphasizes the necessity of having a defined analytical framework, such as realism, to make informed predictions about global events and their implications for businesses. The conversation highlights the evolving role of corporations as geopolitical actors and the need for analysts to articulate their reasoning to enhance decision-making processes.

Find out more How We Think: Realism in Geopolitical Risk Analysis

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill and Dr. Treston Wheat discuss the evolving landscape of US foreign policy, focusing on Greenland, Cuba, and Iran. They explore the implications of military interventions, the shift from multilateralism, and the potential consequences for international relations and business strategies. The conversation highlights the need for businesses to adapt to these geopolitical changes and the importance of thorough analysis in navigating this complex environment.

In this episode, Ross Hill and Dr Treston Wheat examine the US operation against Nicolás Maduro and what it reveals about contemporary American strategy in the Western Hemisphere. The discussion focuses on how long-running strategic signals, including shifts in US national security doctrine, hemispheric security priorities, and the designation of narco-terrorism, shaped an intervention that stopped short of full regime change.

The episode explores why this operation aligns with the Trump administration’s preference for rapid, decisive action without occupation, drawing comparisons to historical precedents such as Panama in 1989. Ross and Treston assess the geopolitical drivers behind the move, particularly the desire to constrain Chinese and Russian influence and deny access to critical resources, rather than humanitarian or democratisation objectives.

Finally, the conversation turns to implications for business and markets. The episode unpacks the realities of Venezuelan oil production, infrastructure decay, and long-term investment risk, alongside the likelihood of continued US pressure through counter-narcotics operations. The key takeaway is strategic rather than tactical: corporate risk increasingly sits downstream of geopolitical bargaining, not domestic reform.

Music for this episode is by @barleysentient on Suno

In this special episode of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill is joined by Insight Forward intern Sofia Bohan to discuss her research into modern disinformation and why it has become a core feature of geopolitical competition. The conversation explores how misinformation and disinformation campaigns evolve from online narratives into real-world political and security consequences, drawing on examples such as QAnon in the United States and state-led influence operations by Russia and Iran. Sofia outlines how social media dynamics, psychological vulnerability, and perceived credibility allow false narratives to spread rapidly, particularly during periods of uncertainty and crisis.

The episode then turns to the implications for corporations. Ross and Sofia examine how disinformation increasingly targets companies and executives, shaping consumer behaviour, investor sentiment, and physical security risk regardless of factual accuracy. They discuss how state and non-state actors exploit polarisation, influencer networks, and emerging technologies such as generative AI and deepfakes to erode trust and control narratives. The discussion concludes with why monitoring information environments is now a strategic necessity for businesses operating in a fragmented and contested geopolitical landscape.

You can read the full report at https://www.insightforward.co.uk/reports/

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, we examine how the traditional boundaries between peace and conflict have collapsed, pulling corporations into the centre of geopolitical competition. What was once the domain of states and intelligence services is now a contested battlespace where private companies are targeted, leveraged, or coerced through cyberattacks, sabotage, supply chain disruption, and information operations.

In this bonus edition of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill is joined by Insight Forward intern Trevor Johnson to unpack why cobalt has become one of the most strategically contested minerals in the world and what that means for businesses. Drawing on Trevor’s research project, they explore how China’s dominance over cobalt mining and refining, centred on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is shaping geopolitical competition, supply chains, and corporate risk exposure from EVs and batteries to aerospace and defence.

Trevor’s full report on cobalt, the DRC and corporate risk is available via the Insight Forward website Latest Geopolitical Reports & Corporate Insights

In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, Ross Hill and Dr Treston Wheat continue their series on the Top 10 Geopolitical Risks for Businesses in 2026 with Risk #9. They examine how the rapid rise and proliferation of autonomous weapons systems – especially cheap, adaptable drones – is reshaping modern warfare and opening up a new class of risks for companies, cities and critical infrastructure. Drawing on case studies from Ukraine, Russia, Armenia–Azerbaijan and India–Pakistan, they explore how battlefield innovation around “human machine platoons” and low-cost drones will eventually diffuse into the hands of non state actors, organised crime groups and terrorists. The conversation then turns to the constraints on corporate counter-drone activity, the lagging legal environment, and how emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and AI-enabled cyber attacks could change both the threat landscape and the expectations placed on corporate security teams.Music for this episode is by @barelysentient on Suno.