Succession is no longer an internal decision. External forces such as regulators, antitrust bodies, export controls, and foreign governments now shape who can take the CEO seat. In this episode, Ash Wendt breaks down how boards can survive the new reality by mapping external veto points, running the Ineligibility Drill, and redesigning their leadership pipeline for geopolitical competence. The episode also introduces two essential metrics, Regulatory Clearance Probability and Geopolitical Resilience, that reveal whether a successor can withstand the geopolitical gauntlet that defines modern leadership.