In this episode of Boardroom Statecraft, we explore Risk #7 in our Top 10 Geopolitical Risks for Businesses in 2026: modern radical politics on the left and right. We look at how politics is being pulled toward the harder edges across the US, UK, Europe, Latin America, India, Israel and beyond, and how the Overton window has shifted so that once-fringe ideas now shape mainstream debate. We discuss the long-term failures of centrist, post-Cold War policymaking, the loss of trust in traditional parties, and how that vacuum has been filled by populist movements that offer emotive, simple answers but often produce volatile or incoherent policy.

We then connect this directly to corporate risk. We talk about policy whiplash (for example on trade, tax, immigration, and DEI), the way radical parties can influence policy even when they are not in power, and how ideological alignment is starting to affect alliances and market access. Finally, we flag how rising radical ideology increases the likelihood of political violence and societal instability – a theme we will pick up in the next episode on revolutionary violence.

Music is by @barelysentient on Suno.