Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting
Episode 301 – Do we need to create a new class of terrorism, or is this overcomplicating matters? We have all become too familiar with terrorism over the decades, especially since 9/11. There are all kinds of groups which use violence in the pursuit of all kinds of goals and they all have some form […]
Season 3 Episode 10 – What keeps the CSIS Director up at night? An Al-less trio – which makes Neil and Phil a dynamic duo! – weighs in on CSIS Director Dan Rogers first ?annual? threat overview speech and what Canadians should take away from it. From terrorism to foreign interference to transnational repression to […]
Episode 300 – What do Arctic nations need to do to protect their security? Canada is one of few nations which actually borders the Arctic (unlike China which describes itself as a ‘near-Arctic nation). Long considered marginal because of snow and ice, the region is garnering more interest thanks to global warming and the pursuant […]
Season 3 Episode 9 – The link between intelligence and warfare is an important one To mark Remembrance Day, an important time to pay their respects to the Canadian women and men who paid the ultimate sacrifice, the lads talk about the role that intelligence played in the Afghan conflict. Spotify link Substack link Spies […]
Episode 299 – When disinformation can lead to more terrorism It seems like the word ‘genocide’ is thrown around a lot these days. Whether it applies in all cases remains a contentious issue (look at the claim that Israel is engaged in a ‘genocide’ against Palestinians). The US now says Nigeria is allowing a genocide […]
Episode 298 – Violence on the right and left is rising in the US: what can be done about it? When it comes to language there are lots of opposites: black and white, up and down, in and out, right and left. The latter terms are often thrown around when talking about political movements (and […]
Season 3 Episode 8 – There’s no fun in the UAE but lots of funny business in Indian actions abroad After attending an early Remembrance Day ceremony at the National Beechwood Cemetery, the guys keep the serious tone by looking at why the UAE is sponsoring genocide in Sudan, why India is sponsoring assassinations abroad […]
Episode 297 – Why calling terrorist groups ‘dead’ is rarely a good idea I cannot recall how many times I have heard a world leader, or a self-styled ‘terrorism expert’, expound that a given terrorist group has been ‘totally defeated’ (that is exactly what Donald Trump said about ISIS in Iraq and Syria in 2019 […]
Season 3 Episode 7 – Canadian gaps on national security are spooktacular In a special (post) Hallowe’en edition of ‘Spooks Like Us’, your favourite ex-spies weigh in why the Brits are frightfully good at prosecuting sabotage, why Canada is horror-ible at removing threats to national security, and whether anyone can trust US intelligence under the […]
Episode 296 – How does a country weigh national vs. economic security? To say that Canada-China relations have been rocky would be putting it mildly. From the heyday of the first Trudeau (Pierre) to the depths of the PRC’s kidnapping of two Canadians several years ago, it has not been an easy road. Furthermore, China […]