Borealis Threat & Risk ConsultingPhil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. Phil is a 32-year veteran of CSE and CSIS and the author of six books on terrorism.
This piece first appeared in The Bureau on August 28, 2026. Of all the terms in the English language that have led to arguments over what exactly they mean, terrorism has to be at or near the top. Phrases such as “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” the tendency of dictators to call […]
Episode 349 – The UK has led the world in CVE: what can we learn from its efforts? One of the most popular buzzwords in the post 9/11 period is ‘radicalisation’. Though it has been around a long time, it has come to refer to the ‘process’ whereby individuals and/or groups adopt extreme ideas upon […]
Episode 348 – Twenty years in Afghanistan and the Taliban are back in power I am not a military specialist but I am aware of the great Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz. Among his many famous statements were this gem: “War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is […]
Episode 347 – Alberta’s separation referendum is being targeted by both Russia and the US Just when you think you have heard enough about foreign interference in Canada something else pops up. This time, it is not about diaspora harassment or “police stations”, but whether Alberta will vote in a referendum to leave Canada. As […]
Episode 346 – Why the West should be worried about China’s security ‘exports’ If you follow the news at all you know that China has been very aggressive over the past decade or so in trying to spread its influence internationally. Much of that is economic – think of the so-called Belt and Road Initiative […]
Episode 345 – The PRC’s attempts to impose Han domination needs to be countered China is a big country – really big! It may no longer have the most people – it seems to have been passed by India in that regard – but it still exerts a lot of power and influence. Within the […]
Episode 344 – The so-called ‘fairer sex’ had a long history in intelligence. James Bond. Jason Bourne. Jack Reacher. Johnny English. All men who have names starting with ‘J’ and all spies – at least of the fictional variety. Nary a female among them. Where are all the women in intelligence? They have played critical […]
Episode 343 – Is Cote d’Ivoire the next nation to fall to the scourge of Islamist extremism? Mali. Niger. Burkina Faso. Nigeria. All these Sahelian and West African states are beset by violence emanating from jihadi groups tied to Al Qaeda and Islamic State. A little further west, Togo, Benin and Senegal have also seen […]
Episode 342 – When you are as bad as the Taliban it should come as no surprise that some will rise up to oppose your pre-Medieval views Ah the Taliban, everyone’s favourite antediluvian misogynist jihadis. Not only have public executions been on the rise and the complete erasure of women and girls from any real […]
Episode 341 – A close relationship may be under some stress Iran really likes to sponsor Shia groups worldwide. As the world’s largest Shia state, Iran sees itself as a protector of sorts, given that Shiites are far outweighed by Sunni Muslims. One of those benefactors is the Houthi group (known by some as Ansarallah) […]