Podcast

Welcome to the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) podcast page! Here we include podcasts hosted by the CSR and its component institutes featuring leading experts who are working to anticipate, analyze, and address core systemic risks to security in the 21st Century – including voices from the security, military, and international affairs communities. These podcasts are aimed at fostering cutting-edge discussions on the world’s systemic, strategic and existential risks, and the ways in which they are converging. To meet this goal, we deliberately host guests with diverse experiences and perspectives. As such, the views expressed on the podcasts are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the official position of CSR.


The Council on Strategic Risks is proud to introduce On the Verge, a new organization-wide podcast produced by CSR staff and affiliates that is situated within the Converging Risks Lab.

On the Verge is a podcast about solving the security risks of the 21st century, produced by the Council on Strategic Risks. Tune in for expert interviews about some of today’s most pressing existential problems including climate change, global pandemics, bioweapons, and nuclear proliferation. We’ll discuss the major challenges and outline potential solutions for preventing worst case scenarios. At the Council on Strategic Risks, we believe that we are on the verge of a better tomorrow.

To listen to the latest episodes, visit the On the Verge page.


Episode 5: with David Michel and Christine Parthemore (April, 2020)

Welcome to the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) Podcast! Here we speak with leading experts who are working to anticipate, analyze, and address core systemic risks to security in the 21st Century. Our fifth episode focuses on climate, nuclear, and security dynamics in Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Iran are geopolitical rivals that have been at the forefront of global security discourse for the last several years. In this episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks to David Michel, a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Climate and Security and a Research Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, and Christine Parthemore, CEO of the Council on Strategic Risks.

Episode 5: with David Michel and Christine Parthemore (April, 2020)

Episode 4: with Dr. Benjamin Santer and Matt Korda (January 14, 2020)

Welcome to the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) Podcast! Here we speak with leading experts who are working to anticipate, analyze, and address core systemic risks to security in the 21st Century. Our fourth episode focuses on effectively communicating climate and nuclear issues. It can be difficult to effectively translate complex risks like climate and nuclear security issues to the global community. In this episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks to Dr. Benjamin Santer, an atmospheric scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Matt Korda, a Research Associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. Santer and Korda, members of CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs, discuss the challenges they face in their respective fields and how communications could be improved.

CSR Podcast Episode 4: with with Dr. Benjamin Santer and Matt Korda (January 14, 2020)

Episode 3: with Hon. Joyce Connery and Seth Grae on UAE (October 25, 2019)

Many consider the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a nascent nuclear energy success story in a largely oil dependent and politically strained Middle East. In this episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks to nuclear experts Joyce Connery, a Board Member and former Chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (joining the podcast in her personal capacity), and Seth Grae, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Lightbridge. Connery and Grae (both members of CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs) delve into the UAE’s nuclear energy progression, global governance mechanisms, and the U.S. role in the shifting international nuclear power market.

CSR Podcast Episode 3: Hon. Joyce Connery and Seth Grae (October 25, 2019)

Episode 2: Rear Admiral Leendert “Len” Hering Sr., USN (Ret) and Christine Parthemore on China (September 10, 2019)

Our second episode focuses on China. Understanding China is critical. In this episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks with national security experts (and members of CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs) Rear Admiral Len Hering Sr., USN (Ret), a member of the Center for Climate and Security’s Advisory Board, and Christine Parthemore, director of CSR’s Center on Strategic Weapons.

CSR Podcast Episode 2: Rear Admiral Leendert “Len” Hering Sr., USN (Ret) and Christine Parthemore on China (September 10, 2019)

Episode 1: Elizabeth Threlkeld and Neil Bhatiya on Pakistan (July 24, 2019)

In this inaugural episode, host Dr. Sweta Chakraborty speaks with South Asia experts (and participants in CSR’s Working Group on Climate, Nuclear, and Security Affairs) Elizabeth Threlkeld of the Stimson Center and Neil Bhatiya of the Center for a New American Security. They discuss nuclear weapons, climate security issues, the effects of natural disasters on the Pakistani population and government, and much more. 

C&S PODCAST LOGO_CS_2018

Welcome to the Climate and Security (C&S) Podcast – a podcast of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR)! In the C&S Podcast, the Center for Climate and Security, an institute of the CSR, takes climate change out of its environmental box, and brings it to the big kid’s table of national and international security. Featuring a series of exclusive dialogues with leading security, military and foreign affairs experts, the podcast explores our responsibility to prepare for a rapidly-changing world. Subscribe to the Center for Climate and Security’s YouTube channel to never miss an episode! Or listen to the audio on iTunes or Stitcher, and subscribe now to get real-time updates. If you’re one of those already subscribed on iTunes, we always welcome your ratings and reviews, as this helps us get the podcast out there to more listeners!

Introductory video

Episode 15: A Conversation with Jamie Shea, former NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges (June 1, 2019)

Episode 14: A Conversation with Dr. Nicolas Regaud, Special Representative to the Indo-Pacific at the French Ministry of Armed Forces, and Participant of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (May 15, 2019)

Episode 13: A Conversation with Louise Van Schaik, Head of the Clingendael International Sustainability Centre and Senior Member, Executive Committee, the International Military Council on Climate and Security (May 1, 2019)

Episode 12: A Conversation with General Tom Middendorp, Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security and former Chief of Defence of the Netherlands (April 15, 2019)

Episode 11: A Conversation with Dr. Marcus King, The Center for Climate and Security and the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University (April 1, 2019)

Episode 10: A Conversation with Michael Lowder, Principal at Global Associates as well as the Fmr. Dir. of the Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response for the U.S. Dept. of Transport, Fmr. Deputy Dir. of the Response Division for FEMA

Episode 9: A Conversation with Rear Admiral Jonathan White, U.S. Navy (Ret), The Center for Climate and Security (March 1, 2019)

Episode 8: A Conversation with Michael Wu, Policy Fellow, The Center for Climate and Security (February 15, 2019)

Episode 7: A Conversation with Joan VanDervort, Advisory Board, The Center for Climate and Security (February 1, 2019)

Episode 6: A Conversation with Hon. Sherri Goodman, Senior Strategist, The Center for Climate and Security (January 15, 2019)

Episode 5: A Conversation with Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell, The Council on Strategic Risks (January 1, 2019)

Episode 4: A Conversation with Christine Parthemore, The Council on Strategic Risks (December 15, 2018)

Episode 3: A Conversation with Brigadier General Gerald Galloway, U.S. Army (Ret), Advisory Board, The Center for Climate and Security (December 1, 2018)

Episode 2: A Conversation with Rear Admiral Ann Phillips, U.S. Navy (Ret), Advisory Board, The Center for Climate and Security (November 16, 2018)

Episode 1: A Conversation with John Conger, Director, The Center for Climate and Security (November 1, 2018)

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