Episode 179 – the national security/fiction crossover: what are the challenges?
We are all familiar with James Bond, Jason Bourne and others, fictional ‘spies’ who thrill and chill us in the movies and in novels. And yet, we recognise that there is a healthy distance between the real world of espionage and intelligence and fiction. What does it take to write a good spy thriller? Borealis is joined by Canadian author John Gelder to talk about his latest novel The Endurant.
About the author
John Gelder is a writer, researcher, analyst and consultant with ‘deep knowledge’ of private and public sector entities responsible for public safety, security and law enforcement in the US and Canada. He lives in Ottawa and is a five-time Boston Marathon runner.
Amazon.com: The Endurant: 9798840859995: Elder, J. G.: Books
Canadian Intelligence Eh
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
About Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specialising in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation, and as a multilingual analyst at CSE (Communications Security Establishment) from 1983-2001. He is the author of six books on terrorism, including the second edition of The Peaceable Kingdom: A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present, published by Double Dagger in February 2023.
