What does security mean in a world where the nature of conflict is changing – and traditional alliances can no longer be taken for granted?

As Europe faces rising geopolitical tensions, uncertainty over the future of the transatlantic alliance and a growing range of threats beyond conventional warfare, what should a smarter approach to security look like?

From defence spending and deterrence to diplomacy, statecraft and the human costs of conflict, this episode explores how governments can respond to a world where security is no longer simply about preparing for war.

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI Global
• Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, Founder and CEO, International Civil Society Action Network
• Sir Laurie Bristow, Former ambassador to Russia, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, FCO Director of National Security and RUSI Distinguished Fellow.
• Nathalie Tocci, Chair of the ODI Europe Board
  
  

Related resources

• The European Security Strategy is stalled; Europe's counter-terrorism strategy shows a way through
• The security we need: rebalancing military spending for a sustainable and peaceful future
• Think Change episode 66: how is Ukraine redefining global security?

As governments globally face growing pressure to raise revenue, amid concerns about inequality and who will have to contribute more, taxing the wealthiest is back at the centre of the debate both in national tax reforms and in international negotiations.

In this episode, we bring together proposals for a coordinated global minimum tax on billionaires and data and evidence on how much tax they pay. We'll hear perspectives from African tax administrations on how they are strengthening existing national taxes and administrative capacity, and what it might take to tax the wealthiest wherever they are.

The conversation goes beyond the headline debate to ask what taxation of the wealthiest could actually mean for low- and middle-income countries: how do we measure wealth and income, how much tax do the richest pay relative to their income, how wealth taxes interact with existing taxes on employment, capital and inheritance, and what could reforms deliver for countries looking to raise more revenue fairly?

Guests:

• Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host)
• Hazel Granger, Senior Research Fellow ODI Global
• Ronald Waiswa, Specialist for Applied Research and Statistics, ATAF
• Wouter Leenders, Lecturer in Economics, Kings College London

Resources:

• Making tax systems fairer and more effective (Resource hub)
• Wealth-related taxes in low- and middle-income countries (Publication)
• There are fewer than 4,000 billionaires worldwide, and they now hold a record $15.1 trillion. That’s nearly half of the U.S. economy (Article, Forbes)

As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st Session of the High level UN General Assembly, questions about power, leadership and the future of international cooperation are high on the agenda. But what does meaningful leadership look like for people living through displacement?

People with lived experience of displacement are often the furthest from the decisions that shape their lives, despite being best placed to understand what their communities need.

While international institutions are increasingly creating spaces for displaced people to participate, consultation alone does not necessarily shift who holds power.

In this episode of Think Change, we explore how refugee-led organisations are building more democratic and accountable ways of working, why funding remains such a powerful barrier to local leadership and what governments, donors and international institutions would need to do differently to support communities to lead their own responses.

Guests share their experiences of challenging existing power structures and making the case for a different model of humanitarian action – one that puts agency, rights and dignity at its centre, and sees local leadership not as a side programme, but as the future of the response.

Through research and convening on humanitarian crises, ODI Global’s Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) strives to work collaboratively and equitably with local actors and researchers. HPG believes that close collaboration and equitable partnerships are the foundations of meaningful research and impact.

In 2026, we sought to formalise this approach by forming a Displacement Advisory Group (DAG). The members of the group – which includes Sana, Hafsar and Ana – represent diverse geographies, backgrounds and expertise from across policy, practice and academia, but share lived experience of displacement. Watch this space as we launch the DAG’s work in the coming days.

Guests:

• Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host)
• Sana Mustafa, Co-Founder of the Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative, the first global fund by refugees
• Hafsar Tameesuddin, Co-Secretary General of Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network
• Ana Maria Diez, Presidente of Coalición por Venezuela

Related resources:

• What refugee-led organisations teach us about measuring impact in displacement settings
• Refugee-led organisations and Lebanon’s displacement crisis
• From commitment to action: financing refugee leadership in an era of cuts