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.
Although there is much still to learn about the attack in California in which a husband and his wife opened fire on a group of his co-workers, killing 14 and wounding many more before dying in a shootout with police, there is some information available that casts interesting light on what we know, and what […]
As we continually seek to understand terrorism and what makes a terrorist, we hear many reasons brought forward and defended as THE answer or cause. I have already, on several occasions, discussed and dismissed the perennial disenfranchisement/alienation/poverty…. myth and will not return to it here. Now another “soupe du jour” has arisen, probably not coincidentally […]
One of the greatest challenges a society has to face with respect to the delicate balance between privacy and freedom of thought and national security has to do with when organs of the state are allowed to take an interest in the activities of its citizens when those activities are believed to constitute a threat […]
The recent stunning election results in Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma) have led to much optimism over the future of the Southeast Asian country. Long led by the military, the majority won by Aung San Suu Kyi – leader of the National League for Democracy and daughter of the man who negotiated Burman independence from the UK […]
I have often said that it is important not to leap to conclusions in the immediate aftermath of tragic events. I have often condemned “instant analysis”, the scourge that we have allowed to spread whereby we need to understand everything right away, with no time for sober consideration or reflection. And I have no intention […]
All too often the word terrorism is associated with a Muslim, or a group of Muslims, or even a whole organisation of Muslims, who carry out acts of despicable violence against civilians. Paris. Nigeria. Sinai. Pakistan. Somalia. Beirut. The list goes on and on. It is important to note that there are a great many […]
It is natural in the wake of a catastrophic attack for people to be upset and angry and even vengeful. Emotions are raw and there are immediate calls to “do something”. Problems that have been around for a long time suddenly get more attention, but rather than a sober, measured response, we leap towards knee-jerk […]
I have said it before and I will repeat it here: I am not an expert in military affairs. Hell, I am not even a well-informed John Q Public when it comes to things military. When I talk about the military I am bound to sound dumb. So, here it goes: my take on why […]
I have gone on record several times to state that Islamic State (IS) does not pose an existential threat to anybody. It can certainly cause havoc and mayhem and destruction but there is no way that this motley crew of extremists is ever going to threaten the world. Yes, it has a state – sort […]
I went to a football game yesterday (Canadian – not American – football – not soccer). The local professional team, the Ottawa Red Blacks, was playing against the Hamilton Tiger Cats for the honour of going to the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League championship, in Winnipeg next Sunday. It was a glorious late fall […]