Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting
In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. 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.
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 […]
Episode 303 – In a land associated with Buddhism, temples and tourism, are Islamist extremists active? Have you ever been to Thailand? I have, but I cannot talk about it…. I do know, however, that it is a very popular spot for tourists – and Thai cuisine is the best! But there is a longstanding, […]
Episode 302 – How hard is it to leave a terrorist group? Joining a terrorist group has to be one of life’s more complicated decisions. Do I believe in the cause? Am I aware of what the group actually does? What if I change my mind? Can I get out or will I be killed […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Episode 295 – Afghanistan is not known as the ‘graveyard of empires’ for nothing After 9/11, the US, Canada and many other nations sent troops to Afghanistan to find and punish Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden and bring ‘democracy’ to the country. Thousands of casualties – on both sides – later, the US pulled […]