Tom Keatinge and Wagner expert Jack Margolin discuss how the group became a global mercenary powerhouse and how to counter the rise of such groups.

With insights from Jack Margolin, author of ‘The Wagner Group: Inside Russia’s Mercenary Army’, this episode explores how the Wagner Group evolved into a global mercenary enterprise, profiting from conflict worldwide. With host Tom Keatinge, they unpack Wagner’s unique financial model, the strategic use of corruption, and how sanctions aim to contain these shadow networks. As new players emerge to fill the vacuum left by Wagner, they highlight the urgent need for the global community to address systemic vulnerabilities enabling such networks and to disrupt the rise and operation of similar paramilitary organisations.

Host Kinga Redlowska, Head of CFS Europe, and Tom Keatinge, CFS Director, are joined by Stephanie Baker, Bloomberg investigative journalist and author of Punishing Putin.

They delve into the impact of sanctions on Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine, exploring Russia’s evasion tactics, the role of oligarchs, and the evolving use of sanctions as a tool in global diplomacy.

Host Tom Keatinge sits down with CFS Associate Fellow Stephen Reimer and international lawyer Ishita Chakrabati to discuss how authoritarian regimes are abusing the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.

Drawing on insights from a two-year RUSI study, this episode analyses how the FATF standards, which aim to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing, are being exploited by authoritarian regimes to silence dissent. With the FATF gearing up for its upcoming plenary in Paris, the findings in our recent report emphasise the urgent need for the FATF to address these abuses and for the international community to take action to ensure the standards are used as originally intended.

In this episode, host Tom Keatinge speaks with Dr Marcus Pleyer, former FATF president, about his role in shaping global financial crime policies and EU anti-money laundering efforts.

They explore Marcus’s professional journey, from a small corner of Germany’s Ministry of Finance to leading the country’s successful bid to host the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority. The conversation delves into the initiatives Marcus championed at the FATF, including the push for using technology in the fight against financial crime and the importance of a risk-based approach in FATF evaluations.

In this episode, host Tom Keatinge, CFS Director, is joined by Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at CNAS, to discuss her co-authored article ‘Axis of Upheaval’. They discuss the convergence of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and the challenges posed across economic, military, political and technological dimensions. The conversation also delves into whether these deepening ties represent a coordinated grouping or a series of ‘marriages of convenience’ in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, as well as what the West should do.

In the first episode of the season, host Kinga Redlowska, Head of CFS Europe, is joined by Bethany Allen, author of Beijing Rules: China's Quest for Global Influence. They discuss how China has developed its economic statecraft in recent years, the innovative methods used to achieve its geopolitical ends, and what the West can do to respond to increasingly muscular Chinese economic activities.

In this teaser, host Kinga Redlowska, Head of CFS Europe, is joined by CFS Director Tom Keatinge to launch the theme for the new season, ‘The Future Of’.

Listen now to get a sneak peek at the range of topics and new ideas that will feature in Season Seven of the STR podcast.

In the last episode of this season, host Tom Keatinge, CFS Director, is joined by T Raja Kumar, former President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). They discuss some of the key achievements during his presidency, such as his focus on asset recovery, increased FATF engagement with regional bodies around the world, the unprecedented suspension of Russia from the FATF, and what to expect as the next round of country evaluations begins.