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.
Episode 363 – Do those with practical experience in intelligence make better spy novelists? What does it take to write a really good spy book? Does a career in intelligence help or hurt? Does one need to have been at the coalface to be seen as credible? Or can anyone write in this genre? A […]
Episode 362 – The Star Link/Star Shield incident in Ukraine should be a wake-up call for nations I am old enough to remember when the best technology was in the hands of states/governments. During the Cold War, satellite imagery was used by both sides to keep an eye (literally!) on each other and the best […]
Episode 361 – Iran, Gaza, the West Bank are all national security challenges for Israel If there is one nation that suffers disproportionately from an existential terrorist threat, it is Israel. Going back to the very creation of the state of Israel, a variety of groups have clearly indicated their intention to destroy that nation. […]
Episode 360 – Sometimes terrorism and criminal violence cross paths When it comes to terrorism you think you know what it is and what it isn’t. Attacks are planned and/or carried out by groups or individuals who see themselves as either part of the group or inspired by it. So what happens when an alleged […]
Season 4 Episode 3 – August Hanning has an interesting post-intelligence retirement plan Former heads of services talking to our enemies, Elon Musk dialing back Internet services to Ukraine…what the hell is going on? These incidents have huge implications for national security. What do three ex-spies think about this? We are sure you are dying […]
Episode 359 – The Trump administration seems to be undermining expertise If there is one thing I know about ‘expertise’ – a term that is vastly overused IMHO – is that it takes time, a lot of time to acquire. One does not become an ‘expert’ in anything overnight (no matter what Holiday Inn Express […]
Episode 358 – Why it is important to recall earlier eras of terrorism On some occasions a person arises who dominates the headlines, and not necessarily for good reasons. When it comes to bad guys, though, and more narrowly terrorists, there are few more famous than Carlos Ilyich Ramirez, i.e. Carlos the Jackal. What was […]
Season 4 Episode 2 – The next generation (X, Y, Z…) of intelligence? Another week at the virtual bar – is Neil drinking water or vodka at 11 AM? – and the boys deliver their usual combo of insight and banter into current national security issues. In this episode we discuss the US withdrawal of […]
Episode 357 – Southeast Africa has been beset by jihadis for at least two decades Mozambique does not garner a lot of attention on the world stage. The former Portuguese colony is tucked into the southeast corner of the African continent and tends to fly under the radar. And yet, like far too many African […]
Episode 356 – We do NOT need more terrorist group listings! In its never-ending quest to spread the terrorist listing wealth, the Trump Administration has made some odd moves of late. First, there was the decision to call drug cartels ‘terrorists’, despite the unfortunate reality that they are not terrorist groups but rather criminal organisations. […]