Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting
Episode 308 – Do words make worlds? Not surprisingly, terrorism is a very emotive term. When acts take place, the media will often use words and language that vary widely in scope. Some say that we should eschew some vocabulary that may or not be inaccurate, or lead to bias. How do we manage this […]
Mission Possible Episode 2 Good morning subscriber. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to analyze the US seizure of Venezuelan President Maduro from both a legal and moral perspective within the intelligence, law enforcement and military worlds. The code name for this mission is Operation Venezuela Vendetta and is classified Top Secret […]
Episode 307 – Can diplomats play a key part in intelligence gathering? When we think of intelligence we normally go to spy agencies, be they those which run human sources, collect signals, or do surveillance (on the ground or in the air/space). And yet the people we send abroad as diplomats have access to a […]
Season 3 Episode 14: Spies like us have crystal balls! Happy New Year fans!! Like many sites Spies Like Us can have a look ahead episode. Here the lads prognosticate on what we can expect to happen in 2026. Oh, and advice from the Hardy Boys on how to use a cut out operative if […]
Episode 306 – How much are bad guys taking advantage of AI? You cannot read just about anything these days and not come across the role of AI in everything. We may not be able to agree on whether this new technology is good or bad, but it is not going away. Like all new […]
I am very excited to announce the start of a new podcast in January 2026. Called ‘I, Spy: An intelligent take on national security’, this 20-30 minute video will delve into some of the most urgent issues in national security around the world. Whether it is terrorism, espionage, sabotage, foreign interference, transnational repression or other […]
Episode 305 – Why can’t just about anyone run a major intelligence service or police force? There seems to be this movement that anyone should have the opportunity to try their hand at anything. This includes complicated jobs such as security intelligence agencies or law enforcement organisations. But what happens if an outsider with no […]
Season 3 Episode 13 – the year that was and the foreign agent registry that wasn’t As 2025 draws to a close, Al, Phil and Neil look back at what made national security headlines this year, wonder why Gary Anandasangaree is still Canada’s Public Safety Minister, and figure out why Neil can’t be host of […]
Episode 304 – When words betray bad guys As a linguist (and former multilingual foreign intelligence analyst) and counter terrorism specialist, I can proudly say I had a cool career. The chance to combine language skills, a background in linguistics proper and my interest in terrorism was a remarkable opportunity. But can language/linguistics have more […]
Season 3 Episode 12 – What a week in terrorism! And a potential Canadian spy thrown in for good measure The boys are back – with Al having returned from a Top Secret mission to Casablanca where he ate and drank too much – and just in time to weigh in on a whole bunch […]