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 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) […]
Episode 340 – First responders and those who deal with bad actors are exposed to very serious consequences Imagine you are a cop or a paramedic. On a daily basis, you are likely to have to deal with some very nasty stuff: severely wounded people or dead ones, and some truly evil individuals who like […]
Season 3 Special Summer Episode – Spies go where it is necessary with no trepidation (kudos to Canada’s “first” spy) After a successful Spies and Spirits event at the Luckhurst Distillery in Kelowna BC, the lads weigh in on the role Sir William Stephenson (a.k.a. ‘Intrepid’) played in the creation of the Canadian intelligence community […]
Episode 339 – Concrete steps to counter hate are a good thing Anti-Semitic acts are not new, unfortunately. Hatred of Jews goes back millennia, culminating in the Holocaust which led to the industrialisation of mass murder of Jews. Since the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza, it appears […]
Phil’s Phathomings Episode 1 – Canada needs to ensure that immigrants do not bring nefarious plans to our country Canada, like many other nations, needs robust immigration. Our fertility rates are dropping below the 2.1 minimum to keep our population stable and immigrants can help grow our economy. The vast majority of those who seek […]
Episode 278 – We all make mistakes, even spooks. Humans are fallible: that we know. One hopes that those in specialised trades – doctors, lawyers, etc. – get more things right than wrong. If not, it is a legitimate question: should they be in those professions? What about intelligence agencies? Should they have perfect records […]
Episode 338 – Pirates can help terrorist groups – we need to pay more attention to this The stereotypical view of pirates is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Hollywood. These depictions do not show the very violent actions carried out by pirates. Despite international treaties that define this phenomenon it does get the attention it deserves, […]