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 255 – Why can’t we all get along in the terrorism studies field? In many areas it is acceptable to put forward a hypothesis, based on what is known, and see where it goes. Honest practitioners will change that idea once new information is made available, and not hold to it in the face […]
Episode 250 – The Taliban has an opponent: here’s to their success! Ever since the Taliban retook Afghanistan in the fall of 2021 news out of that nation has been solidly negative. Public executions have been reinstated. Women’s rights are as bad now as they were when the Taliban (Taliban 1.0) took power in 2001. […]
Episode 254 – Is the Magdeburg Christmas market attack an other example of ‘cafeteria terrorism’? Another mass gathering, another vehicular attack, this time in Magdeburg, Germany. This is a trend, especially amongst Islamist jihadis (Nice, Barcelona, London, Berlin…) in recent years. This case is different, though, as the alleged motive of the alleged attacker seems, […]
Spies Like Us Season 2 Episode 16 In this last episode of 2024 the guys talk about the pluses and minuses of calling Luigi Mangione, the killer of a US healthcare executive, a terrorist, and why Santa Claus would make a GREAT intelligence operative
Pakistan’s struggle to contain Baloch insurgencies in the southwest area of the country is causing all kinds of problems
Episode 254 – Is it helpful to ignore the jihadi elephant in the room? Ever since 9/11, Western nations have devoted a lot of time and money trying to understand ‘radicalisation’, and more narrowly the kind of radicalisation that leads to violence. In essence, this is what causes terrorism (terrorists are made, not born). Our […]
Episode 248 – Is the killing of a US healthcare executive an act of terrorism? As I have noted on far too many occasions no one can agree on what is terrorism and what is not. Not all acts of violence qualify as such and it is often very difficult to determine if the requisite […]
Season 2 Episode 15 Alternative link When you don’t know nuthin’ it is best to ask someone who does know sumpin’. The guys are happy to welcome AI guru Ryan Zorn, an ex-CSIS dude, to demonstrate the challenges of AI and the threats to national security. Oh, and hope springs eternal that AI will create […]
Episode 247 – Is it time to yet to celebrate a new beginning in Syria? Any time a brutal dictator is ousted is a good day for the world as there are far too many still in power in the world. The Assads, father and son, were particularly inhumane, using, among other tools, chemical weapons […]
Episode 253 – The West needs to stand up more to autocracy The world is in a terrible mess right now. Autocracies like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and others are running roughshod over human rights and international norms. All this has huge implications for national – and international – security. The democracies on […]