Canadian Intelligence Eh
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world.
In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
Listen to my short Quick Hits podcasts
Canadien Intelligence Eh
Everywhere you look these days terrorism and violent extremism dominate the headlines. Whether you follow what is happening in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the West writ large, we are inundated with news of attacks by groups and individuals fighting for a ’cause’.
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counterterrorism in the national security world.
About the host Phil Gurski
In these half-hour podcasts 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
Author of six books on terrorism, Phil is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence.
All the episodes
What other types of violence other than jihadi is prominent in Pakistan?
Pakistan’s struggle to contain Baloch insurgencies in the southwest area of the…
What, if anything, does the killing of a healthcare CEO have to do with radicalisation?
Episode 248 – Is the killing of a US healthcare executive an…
Whither Syria after the Assads?
Episode 247 – Is it time to yet to celebrate a new…
Finding an assassin’s gun? Cool!
Episode 246 – The gun that killed Thomas Darcy McGee, father of…
Are we seeing a shift in how people radicalise? Not necessarily…
Episode 245 – Is jihad hip and cool? If there is one…
Remembering the FLQ crisis in Canada
Episode 244 – When French Canadian separatists terrorised Quebec We in Canada…
Are Russian mercenaries in Africa the new ‘colonialists’?
Episode 243 – From the European frying pan into the Russian fire…
When Canada helped save London from the Nazis
Episode 242 – The Battle of Britain and Canadian airmen’s role in…
Is this the end of Hizballah?
Israel’s elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese Shia terrorist…
The next generation of the intelligence community
All professions need to regenerate themselves over time. So how do…
How far will the jihadi threat to Africa spread?
Africa is rapidly becoming jihad central for many terrorist groups and the…
National security depends critically on international intelligence sharing
Countries which get more intelligence than they give cannot afford to abandon…
Enough with the ‘systemic racism’ accusations over warrants!
Warrants are very hard to acquire in Canada and misinformation over their…
Are we entering a ‘fifth wave’ of terrorism?
The terrorism- criminality nexus has always been a challenge to manage as…
Is Al Shabaab really on the descent in Somalia?
Governments sometimes stretch the truth to get their populations onside. Is…
Yes everyone has a right to protest but who steps in when it goes sideways?
Episode 236 – Do Canadian police have enough manpower to monitor and…
Three decades in national security: what was it like?
Working in national security is a very cool business. It is…
What can the ordinary public do to help authorities prevent violence?
Most people exhibit signs before they carry out an act of violence…
Is the Sahel becoming the new ground zero for jihadis?
Africa is beset by so many problems and jihadi terrorism may be…
African reliance on Russia’s Wagner Group for CT: a good idea?
Why would African nations embrace a Russian mercenary group in counter-terrorism ops…
Canada’s government is still failing Canadians when it comes to malicious activity in our land
The litany of illegal and underhanded actions by the PRC in Canada…
Anti-Semitism: hate or terrorism?
The rise in pro-Palestinian demos has skirted the anti-Semitism line: has it…
How bad has anti-Semitism in Canada that it is driving Jews away?
Anti-Semitism is getting so dangerous in Canada that we are starting to…
Canada is immigrant friendly, but does it consider the national security angle?
Immigration is important to Canada and has always been. But does…
Why does the government of Canada ignore some types of violence?
You would think the targeting of hundreds of Canadian churches for political…
Why has Canada forgotten about the 1985 Air India terrorist attack perpetrated by Sikh terrorists?
Canadians are woefully ignorant of terrorists from BC who perpetrated the 1985…
How bad has anti-Semitism gotten in Canada?
Criticism of a state over its acts is an acceptable form of…
Will Canada ever get to the bottom of the PRC interference debacle?
Solid intelligence pointing to unwanted and dangerous Chinese interference in Canada and…
Russia and the Taliban getting together, really?
The old phrase ‘once burned twice shy’ does not seem to apply…
The terrorism landscape in Australia – what gives?
Two recent attacks in Australia have people wondering what constitutes terrorism and…
Is terrorism becoming ‘socialised’ in Canada?
Is Canada putting too much under the terrorism rubric with serious consequences…
Why treating national security as a profession is important
There is a reason why professionally-trained individuals are important in several areas…
Are pro-Palestinian protests also pro-terrorism?
While you would have to be heartless not to feel for the…
Is diaspora media in Canada at risk of furthering foreign interference?
While diasporas benefit from access to media in their native language these…
More foreign interference in Canada: the Iranian diaspora experience
Iran has engaged in nastiness for decades, including support for terrorist groups….
What to do with the children of violent extremists?
What should we do with the children of violent extremists: should they…
Canada is underperforming badly on the global scene
Why has Canada abandoned its international reputation and commitments and what does…
Writing the great Canadian spy novel, from a SIGINT perspective
Writing a good fiction should probably require some experience to inform a…
Just how bad are Afghan women faring under the Taliban?
Jihadis are misogynist at the best of times but the Taliban take…
Is cryptanalysis all but dead?
Making and breaking codes is classic spycraft. Are the bad …
If Canada is a ‘post-national state’ is there room for national security?
How can your country protect itself from threats to its nation if…
Are Western nations treating female jihadis consistently?
Western female jihadis have become a bit of a ‘soupe du jour’…
How can a terrorist group that never went away ‘rise again’?
Governments have an unfortunate habit of declaring terrorist groups ‘defeated’ when that…
Just how bad is PRC interference in Canada? Really bad!
China has been getting away with illegal activities in Canada for years:…
Is there a problem with policing in Canada?
Policing in the West has taken quite a few hits of late….
What is Hizb-ut-Tahrir and why did the UK list it as a terrorist organisation?
You would think that a government would list terrorist groups for specific…
Afghanistan under the Taliban (again!): what are our concerns?
Afghanistan is now again under the medieval reign of the Taliban: what…
When a country is a perpetrator AND victim of terrorism
Terrorists are equal opportunity actors as a rule and this means that…
Is policing becoming impossible in the West?
Law enforcement agencies are placed in a tough spot when it comes…
It is time to be more careful when throwing the word ‘genocide’ around
The recent attempt to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza cheapens the…
Is Canada an easy target for China’s spies?
No country can allow its sensitive technology to be stolen by foreign…
The October 2023 Hamas attack, Israel’s response and international implications for terrorism
The Hamas attack on Gaza and Israel’s response is raising the terrorism…
Can governments act effectively on national security issues in an era of social media?
Running a nation is complex enough without having ever-changing information (as well…
Why doesn’t Canada have a foreign intelligence service?
In a world where everyone is spying on everyone else you would…
Why does Canada keep giving millions to alleged jihadis?
It is one thing to recognise when injustices are done and those…
Is Sweden becoming unsafe?
Sweden’s reputation as a safe country of blond, fit people has been…
What is it like to be part of a community jihadis seek to ‘eliminate’?
Some in Canada think that those who joined ISIS are ‘victims’ who…
Why are so many faithful killing in the name of ‘god’?
We have been led to believe that religion is a good thing:…
What effect do terrorism alerts have on the public?
A terrorist attack on a crowd during the holiday season would be…
Why foreign HUMINT collection should be left to the professionals
In the post 9/11 period a lot of agencies wanted to hone…
Is coastal West Africa facing an increased jihadi threat?
Why are coastal West African nations facing a growing jihadi threat and…
How can academe help us to understand terrorism?
How do academics and practitioners in countering terrorism get along and what…
What is it like to write about terrorism for the news cycle?
Writing about terrorism cannot be easy given the inherent danger in going…
What is it like to be a national security advisor?
Busy people need help understanding the torrent of information sent to them,…
What is happening in France vis-a-vis terrorism?
Of all the Western nations France seems to suffer the highest level…
What are the repercussions of the Hamas attack and Israel’s response?
In the aftermath of the heinous attack by Hamas in Israel what…
Canada’s security service is the most over-regulated one in the Western world
Running an intelligence agency is not an average job one would imagine:…
When it comes to counter-terrorism be careful whom you deal with
Several nations, especially in Africa, have engaged the Russia-based Wagner Group to…
Political agendas and intelligence practice are like oil and water
It is one thing for governments to tell their spies what they…
Afghanistan under the Taliban: more terrorism?
Afghanistan has been in a lot of trouble for a very long…
The plight of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and terrorism
The tragedy of the Rohingya in northwestern Myanmar has led to resistance,…
The RCMP at 150: where has it been and where is it going?
In an age where many think law enforcement can do nothing right…
Information not shared is not useful information
We live in an era of information overload but this does not…
How important is intelligence sharing? Lessons from Europe
We all learned as children how to share and sharing makes us…
Why can’t Canada call Islamist terrorism what it is?
Squeamishness over terms like Islamist or jihadi terrorism appears to have led…
National security and the world of fiction: a fascinating juxtaposition
The nexus between the national security world and that of fiction (movies…
What is the link between blasphemy and terrorism?
In what may seem like an anachronism, blasphemy accusations still can lead…
Threats have a nasty tendency not to go away
Do we threats ever really go away? If not, are we…
What ever happened to Sikh terrorism?
Sikh extremists in Canada carried out the largest act of aviation terrorism…
Are academic studies on terorism headed in the wrong direction?
Terrorism studies academics and CT practitioners are both looking at the same…
Pakistan and (counter) terrorism? It’s complicated
Pakistan is faced with a serious Islamist terrorist threat and accusations that…
What in heaven’s name is ‘Christian extremism’?
The shooting deaths of two police officers and a civilian in Australia…
Is the UK getting ‘Prevent’ wrong?
As governments struggle to identify and devote resources to countering terrorism, in…
What can we learn from the German experience on repatriating ISIS terrorists?
Episode 171: What to do with Western ISIS ‘foreign fighters’? So many…
What ‘colour’ are foreign fighters in Ukraine?
The war in Ukraine has led to a new wave of ‘foreign…
The intelligence/evidence conundrum in Canada
Evidence is crucial to a successful prosecution in court: what if the…
Is Canada really taking Chinese interference seriously?
Canadian intelligence and journalists have warned that China is engaged in influence…
Reporting from the front lines of danger: journalism in dodgy places
Journalists reporting from zones where terrorism is rampant are an important source…
Why is Africa so beset with terrorism?
Africa seems to have become the epicentre for jihadi terrorism of late:…
Is the UK Prevent strategy broken?
Prevent is part of the UK’s CVE – countering violent extremism –…
Policing in Canada – an overview
Policing is a complicated profession and constantly open to criticism, often by…
Is it possible that the Somali Islamist terrorist group Al Shabaab is going the way of the dodo?
The Somali government and military have been making bold claims of late…
Are we guilty of ‘panic porn’ when it comes to RWE?
It is hard to not come across articles these days about the…
From service in Afghanistan to a military/security publishing house
A former Canadian soldier and reservist wrote fiction and non-fiction on Afghanistan…
What is ‘Hindu extremism’ and how bad is it?
India is a multiethnic country with a huge Muslim minority: is that…
Can risk assessment tools really prevent terrorism?
Can we predict who becomes a terrorist and why? That is…
What is it like to work at the pointy end of counter-terrorism?
In a world of so many who see themselves as terrorism ‘experts’…
Canadian Intelligence Eh! A journalist’s perspective on terrorism
Spies, cops and soldiers are not the only ones concerned with terrorism…
Canadian Intelligence Eh! The terrorist threat to Morocco
Just how dangerous is the current terrorist threat to Morocco? A…
Canadian Intelligence Eh! – What is happening in France vis-a-vis terrorism?
France has long been the victim of jihadist terrorist attacks – why?…
One reply on “Canadian Intelligence Eh”
From my experience I am personally convinced that Opus Dei has “influenced” the education policy of Ontario, and possibly AB & SK. Can Opus Dei be considered a “terrorist organization”? Does CSIS keep tabs on Opus Dei? Can you share any information about Opus Dei influencing Canadian politics? See posts 15 & 16 at https://upsetting.ca