‘The war will change the ESG discussion from something that was easily dismissed as being about sunflowers and windmills to something that is much more serious and systemic.’

In this episode, Manas Chawla, speaks to Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, the US Business Editor at the Financial Times, about the exodus of Western brands from Russia, the role of companies in the unfolding conflict, and the implications of the war for investor understanding of ESG.

Andrew has worked for the FT for more than twenty years and has held both writing and editing positions. He has written extensively on corporate America and the topics shaping the US business landscape. He also features regularly on the FT News Briefing podcast.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Andrew has been following and reporting on the reaction from the corporate world. He shares with Manas his latest analysis concerning the monumental consequences that the war will have for business in Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world.

‘Russia is badly losing the information war. It is President Zelensky who is all over my phone.’

In this episode, Manas Chawla talks to Tom Fletcher, a former foreign policy advisor and ambassador, about diplomacy in the digital age, the ability of governments to restrain big tech, and the role that social media is playing in the war in Ukraine.

Tom Fletcher is Principal of Hertford College at the University of Oxford. Prior to this he worked for the British government, first as a foreign policy advisor to Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Cameron and then as the UK’s Ambassador to Lebanon. He is also the author of two books: The Naked Diplomat: Understanding Power and Politics in the Digital Age, which was published back in 2016, and Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux, which came out earlier this year.

‘The idea of state interests is a manufactured discourse where officials and diplomats make up what they think their countries' interests are usually without reference to the people concerned.’

In this episode, Manas Chawla interviews Founder of Independent Diplomat, Carne Ross, about the losers of the state-based international system and the need for multiple diplomatic mechanisms, at both the international and domestic level, in times of a crisis, such as during the one currently playing out in Ukraine.

Carne founded Independent Diplomat, a non-profit venture, which advises governments, political groups, international institutions, and NGOs about diplomatic conduct and strategy. Prior to this, he worked as a diplomat for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for fifteen years, before he resigned over the Iraq War. He is also the subject of the documentary Accidental Anarchist and author of the book The Leaderless Revolution: How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century.

Drawing upon his time on the front lines of diplomacy and his experience of giving diplomatic voices to state and non-state actors, Carne offers a unique insight into the workings of the international system and the decisions of those who define it.

In this episode, Manas Chawla interviews Brunello Rosa about current and future "hot topic" macroeconomic and geopolitical flash-points including climate change, cryptocurrencies impact on monetary policy, and the future of globalization.

In this episode, Manas Chawla interviews Tina Fordham about the changing nature of the political risk industry and delves into some of the most interesting issues presenting globally for 2022.

Tina Fordham is a Partner and Head of Global Political Strategy at Avonhurst, a London-based boutique advisory firm dedicated to serving the needs of sophisticated capital. Prior to this, Tina was at Citi for 17 years as the first Chief Global Political Analyst on Wall Street. She has served as senior adviser to the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, twice spoken to the UN General Assembly and was appointed to the UN’s first High-Level panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

With such extensive experience at the heart of the political risk industry Tina is the perfect person to listen to on the industry's development and provide some expert analysis on current “hot topics”.

Join Manas Chawla in talking to Jonathan McClory about the real role of soft power within the post-pandemic world.

In this episode, you'll hear what Soft Power really looks like in the diplomatic world, what to make of the 'manufactured' kind, and how much human rights abuses really affect a country's Soft Power, and to whom.

Jonathan McClory is a specialist and Partner at Sanctuary Counsel, a Westminster based strategic communications firm. With extensive experience in public diplomacy, place branding, and cultural relations, Johnathon McClory is also the creator of the Soft Power 30 index. He is the perfect person to listen to if you want a practical minded lens through which to understand soft power dynamics.

The question of where the pandemic started has come up again, and for good reason... Dr John Hulsman shares his views with Manas Chawla on the Wuhan Lab Leak Theory, its geopolitical reasoning, and its consequences. 

Dr John Hulsman has written 7 books on foreign policy and recently celebrated his 1000th article in the foreign policy and geopolitical world. It certainly shows as he was fantastic when it comes to speaking with concise, analytical thought on various ongoing issues, including those within India, France, and China.

As a foreign policy expert, life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and head of his own political risk firm for over 15 years, he is the perfect communicator for exploring how to break into the political risk industry and establish your voice, even if it means going against the grain. His discussion with Manas is certainly a recommended listen for anyone interested in career progressions within the political risk industry and - most importantly - breaking into the political risk industry in the first place.

“What happens in the Middle East doesn’t stay in the Middle East”

Manas Chawla interviews Ambassador Richard Schmierer on a plethora of state positions and voices within the Middle East. Ambassador Richard Schmierer is a US diplomat with extensive experience in several countries in the Middle East. He has served for more than 34 years as a State Department Foreign Service Officer, and has lectured and published a book entitled Iraq: Policies and Perceptions.

Truly informative and insightful, listen to this podcast episode if you want to hear the thoughts of an experienced American diplomat on Palestine, Israel and approaches to the humanitarian crisis, why the Middle East is so laden with Saudi-Iran proxy conflicts, why there is an erosion of support for Israeli policies from some US voices, and why Iraq is a uniquely positioned Middle Eastern state.

Manas Chawla interviews Livia Paggi, the Head of Political Risk at GPW, on Alexei Navalny, the strategic impact of Russian sanctions, and the outlook of international anti-corruption initiatives.

Named as one of Britain’s Top Women in Business Under 35, Livia Paggi is an expert on Russian and wider Eurasian political risk for financial institutions. She heads the work on providing actionable intelligence to support the acquisitions, negotiations, and socio-political risk management of multinationals and international financial institutions.

Listen to this podcast episode if you want to hear a refreshingly objective take on Navalny's prominence in Western press, the liminal space between diplomacy and the politicisation of human rights, and why Russia is de-dollarising its markets.

In this episode, Manas and Cheyenne talk to Dr Kerry Brown, a former British Diplomat to Beijing and Director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College London.

Exploring the significance of China's growth and future projections, Manas tackles the questions of underrated political risks in China, economic de-coupling, and the UK's ever-growing Indo-Pacific shift.

Cheyenne examines the economic, social, and political interactions and relations with surrounding South Asian countries and the South China Sea region. Listen to this episode if you want an informative and detailed insight into the complexities of China's current place in the world, and why countries near and far are keeping China on their radar.