Why the current geopolitical landscape underscores the need to ensure public affairs is part of your crisis planning

With the current volatile geopolitical landscape, the communications industry faces an evolving and complex risk environment. From the shifting sands of global alliances and international order to the rise of populist movements, trade disputes, and heightened regulatory scrutiny, today’s geopolitical climate is anything but stable. For communications professionals, this isn’t just background noise—it’s a direct call to action.

One clear takeaway from the current landscape for me is that public affairs - the strategic engagement with government, policymakers, and regulatory bodies - must be central to any comprehensive risk and crisis management plan.

Traditionally, crisis communications has focused on reputational management—controlling the narrative, mitigating damage, and ensuring swift recovery. But that approach alone is no longer sufficient. Public affairs needs to be integrated from the outset. It’s no longer a “nice to have” but a business-critical function.

Take, for instance, the recent spike in geopolitical tensions across Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia and the seismic changes that the second Trump Administration is making. These events have triggered wars, tariffs, sanctions, trade barriers, and sweeping policy changes overnight. Businesses that didn’t anticipate the political ramifications of their global operations now find themselves exposed—not just to reputational harm, but to real operational and financial risk.

Those with strong public affairs functions in place can quickly and efficiency engage with governments early, advocate for their positions, and mitigate long-term damage.

Equally important is the regulatory ripple effect. Geopolitical instability often leads to sudden policy shifts—new compliance regimes, tighter restrictions on communications and data, and new ESG expectations. The UK Government’s recent move to renationalise British Steel is a sobering example. Organisations with public affairs professionals already siting at the table are better equipped to anticipate these changes, advise leadership, and help adjust corporate strategies.

The blurring of lines between corporate communications, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement is now a defining feature of modern crisis planning. Consumers and investors are increasingly politically aware and socially conscious. A business that fails to respond appropriately to geopolitical developments risks being seen as out of touch or even complicit. Public affairs brings the essential political and societal context to help guide ethical, proactive decision-making.

Moreover, social media means that missteps tied to geopolitical insensitivity can go viral in seconds. Whether it’s a poorly timed product launch during a national crisis, or a statement that alienates international audiences, the stakes are higher than ever. Public affairs should be a vital tool in your crisis management toolbox and ensure your response aligns with political and policy realities.

In short, geopolitical risk is proving to be an even greater business risk. And in this interconnected world, communications leaders must break down silos and bring public affairs expertise into the core of crisis management planning.

The course I run, Managing A Public Affairs Crisis, helps you build public affairs into your overall risk and crisis management planning; define what constitutes a public affairs-focussed crisis and how it may differ from other types. It walks you through how such crises can impact policy decisions, and provides tools to scope out public affairs stakeholders and how to communicate with them across multiply platforms.

The companies that will weather future storms are those that treat public affairs not as an afterthought, but as a fundamental pillar of risk and crisis strategy.