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I am a global affairs analyst, speaker and journalist in both print and live media. In January 2022, I became a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Atlantic Council, attached to its Eurasia Center.
Currently I’m on location in Ukraine. Read my real-time updates here.
I've been part of the frontline teams at many international humanitarian organizations. I also help organizations tell their stories, deal with crisis communications and improve their media relations savviness. A favourite pastime is lecturing on journalism and training young journalists on ethics, fake news and crisis reporting.
A passion is investigating human being's relationship with technology, especially smartphones and social media. My book, Digital Pandemic, was published in summer of 2021.
With over two decades of experience in humanitarian work and international journalism, I am a frequent commentator on BBC World Television, BBC World Service Radio, CNN, Bloomberg TV, CTV, CBC and Al Jazeera. My commentaries on global affairs, humanitarian issues and technology are published regularly on CNN Opinion.
During the 2020-2021 period, I devoted myself to analyzing and commenting on the myriad aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic - especially the response by China, the actions of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the patchwork quilt responses by various governments. I do not hesitate to call out bad players, especially if it means more death, sickness or economic dislocation.
I love delivering impactful talks. You may have seen me at Harvard University (Fall 2021), the Halifax International Security Forum, the World Communications Forum in Istanbul and Geneva, the Oxford University Alumni conference in Vienna, the Atlantic Council (Washington, DC) and London’s Frontline Club regional series. In March 2016 I moderated the pitch stage at the SXSW Festival in Austin.
By now I've delivered two TEDx talks: evangelizing about collaboration at TEDxUW in Canada and sharing advice on how to make the best choices in life at TEDxCoE Natolin in Poland.
On top of all of this, I love to share travel intelligence with a global audience. My Savvy Traveller is all about getting people to move - but in a sensible, responsible and savvy way.
I am available to speak on global affairs, diplomacy, disasters, travel, humanitarian issues, migration, technology and the Ukraine crisis/Black Sea region politics.
The United States reached separate agreements on Tuesday with Ukraine and Russia to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea and to implement a ban on attacks by the two countries on each other's energy facilities. Two of the Trump administration’s top intelligence officials denied in a frequently contentious Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday that classified information was shared in an encrypted group chat in which details of an attack on Yemen were discussed in the presence of a journalist who had been mistakenly added to the conversation.
U.S. and Russian negotiators on Monday sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine, hours after a round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations. Gaza death toll surpasses 50,000 mark. Protests in Turkey threaten tourism and investment
Just hours ahead of a a call between the US and Russian leaders, I joined BBC News live from the Moldovan capital to explore possible outcomes
Live from Moldova, I joined CNN News Central’s Sara Sidner to discuss what lies ahead for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russia ramps up its strikes on his country.
Here I explore the steps Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cant take to bring islands of normality to parts of his war-torn country - and to show the world what Ukraine can become if given the chance.
Sharing candid thoughts rarely spoken by international diplomats, Ukraine’s UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya weighs forth on a wide range of topics - including what awaits Vladimir Putin should he do the unthinkable
Laura Ballman, a former CIA operations officer, is now a sought-after speaker, writer and geopolitical analyst. In this special season opener, co-host Melissa Ricci and I speak to Laura about her career, whether it is a viable option for females, the war in Ukraine and cultural theft, whether tech platforms such as TikTok are safe - and much, much more!
President Trump's national security adviser accidentally added the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic to a group text in which top officials debated highly sensitive plans for bombing Yemen