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Wars are stupidly easy to get into, fiendishly difficult to get out of

I am sure you have all heard the term ‘the folly of war’. There was even a book with that title written years ago by a historian named Donald E. Schmidt: The Folly of War: American Foreign Policy, 1898-2005. With this being 2018 (almost 2019) and all you would think that humans would have realised […]

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Perspectives

US vs. Canadian judicial approaches to terrorism: night and day

In so many ways Canada and the US are very similar.  We are both largely Anglophone, former British colonies, and Western liberal democracies.  On the other hand we are also very different.  Whether we are talking about gun laws, the role of religion in society or baseball vs. hockey there are distinctions that apply at […]

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Perspectives

Hey environmental activists – chill out over CSIS attention!

When you work for an intelligence service like CSIS you don’t get a fair shake.  Your activities are mistrusted, you are seen as engaging in illegal acts, you are seen as bullies, you are seen as too secretive, you are blamed when things go wrong (i.e. terrorist plots succeed), the list goes on and on […]

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‘Counter’ terrorism policies that breed more terrorism are not smart

When it comes to terrorism we all have a role to play.  Citizens have a responsibility to call authorities when they see suspicious behaviour (‘See it, Say it’ is one such campaign) or notice those on the possible pathway to violent extremism and get in touch with those who have CVE (countering violent extremism) programs […]

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Yes, terrorists can come from YOUR community

In recent days I have been slammed on social media (LinkedIn and Twitter) for blogs I have written on terrorism.  The one had to do with whether CSIS has a right to investigate terrorism on university and college campuses (answer: YES!) and the other was on the threat from Sikh extremism in Canada. The criticism […]

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When Canadians carry out terrorist attacks abroad

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on December 19, 2018. July 1 is, of course, our national day.  Whether you celebrate it like we do here in Ottawa with a series of events centred on Parliament Hill capped by the awesome fireworks display or in your own local way (at the cottage, in your […]

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Doug Ford, Sikh extremism and the unhelpful political interference in threat assessments

I want to start this blog with a confession: I am not a Doug Ford fan.  Hell I am not a Ford family or a Ford Nation fan either but all that is besides the point I want to make.  The latest of Mr. Ford’s gaffes has me very worried about political interference in national […]

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The 2018 Public Safety Canada terrorist overview: ok, but….

I guess it is that time of year.  No, not the holiday season – the appearance of the annual Public Safety Canada terrorist threat overview!  As the Minister of Public Safety himself – Ralph Goodale – wrote, this is “part of our commitment to being open and transparent through a balanced and frank assessment of […]

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Reflections on yet another terrorist attack in France

I guess we would call what happened in Strasbourg yesterday evening a case of deja-vu, and not just because that particular phrase is French in origin. A man armed with both a knife and a gunman attacked shoppers at that eastern French city’s famous Christmas market around 8 PM when he opened fire, killing at […]

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Canada’s response to returning terrorists: more of the same

So the Trudeau government has responded to a Parliamentary “Supply Day Motion” (NB I have NO idea what that means) dated October 23 that called on the Government of Canada to “immediately bring to justice anyone who has fought as an ISIS terrorist or participated in any terrorist activity, including those who are in Canada […]