Every day, leaders are forced to make decisions in an increasingly complex world. A regional conflict can disrupt global supply chains. New tariffs can reshape entire industries. Advances in artificial intelligence can alter economic and geopolitical power. Political instability, cybersecurity threats, and shifting alliances all influence business, government, and society in ways that are often difficult to anticipate.
Understanding these dynamics is no longer reserved for diplomats or intelligence agencies. It has become an essential skill for business leaders, policymakers, analysts, researchers, and professionals responsible for making strategic decisions in an interconnected world.
That is why the Institute for Applied Geopolitics (IAG) was created.
As an independent and non-partisan educational institution, IAG’s mission is to advance the understanding and application of geopolitics through structured analytical methods. Their goal is to equip professionals to better understand global change, assess risk, and make more informed decisions through objective analysis.
What distinguishes IAG is its focus on applied geopolitics. Rather than concentrating primarily on geopolitical theory or current events, the Institute teaches original analytical frameworks, developed by IAG, that professionals can apply to real-world decisions. One of these is the COMPASS™ Framework for Geopolitical Analysis, which gives analysts a structured way to assess country risk across seven strategic dimensions: culture, organization, military, production, alliances, spatial, and sustainability. The framework translates that analysis into a transparent, comparable risk score. Instead of reacting to headlines or relying on intuition, learners gain reliable methods for assessing geopolitical risk, identifying early-warning signs, and anticipating how global developments will affect their organizations with greater confidence and consistency.
The Institute serves a broad range of learners, including business executives, corporate strategy teams, supply chain leaders, government professionals, military and intelligence analysts, policy advisors, researchers, and emerging professionals. As geopolitical developments increasingly shape business strategy, technology, finance, energy, security, and public policy, professionals across industries are recognizing that geopolitical literacy has become a competitive advantage.
IAG’s faculty brings together experienced practitioners from diverse backgrounds who combine academic expertise with real-world experience.
The Institute is led by its two co-founders. Steven A. Smith, Ph.D., serves as Executive Director. With more than 25 years of experience spanning academia, industry, and global consulting, Dr. Smith has built a career helping organizations understand the intersection of geopolitics, business strategy, and global risk. His professional background includes engineering and management positions at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, faculty appointments at Rutgers University, Florida Atlantic University, and the University of New Orleans, and service as a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University. He is also the author of Mastering Geopolitical Strategy, which examines analytical approaches within the growing field of applied geopolitics.
Deborah Allen serves as Chief of Staff. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience across corporate, entrepreneurial, and startup environments, Ms. Allen directs operations, marketing, enrollment, partnerships, and business development. Her work ensures the Institute’s academic expertise translates into relevant, applied learning experiences that meet the evolving needs of professionals and organizations.
Today, IAG offers courses covering applied geopolitical analysis, strategic foresight, intelligence analysis, open-source intelligence, scenario planning, geoeconomics, energy, technology, cybersecurity, climate, and regional dynamics. The Institute also provides professional certificate programs in Applied Geopolitics and Applied Intelligence that give learners structured analytical methods they can immediately apply within their organizations.
Beyond its online courses, IAG partners with universities and organizations to deliver executive education programs tailored to their strategic priorities, industries, and professional audiences. These programs help organizations strengthen strategic thinking, improve geopolitical awareness, and build internal capabilities for navigating global uncertainty.
IAG’s approach centers on teaching learners how to think, not what to think. Rather than providing predetermined answers, the Institute develops analytical capabilities that enable professionals to evaluate information objectively, challenge assumptions, identify emerging risks, and make better-informed decisions in rapidly changing environments.
Global events are shaping business, security, technology, supply chains, and public policy more than ever before. Understanding these connections has become an essential professional skill. The Institute for Applied Geopolitics helps professionals develop that capability through rigorous, applied education and structured analytical methods that support better decision-making in a rapidly changing world.
