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 361 – Iran, Gaza, the West Bank are all national security challenges for Israel If there is one nation that suffers disproportionately from an existential terrorist threat, it is Israel. Going back to the very creation of the state of Israel, a variety of groups have clearly indicated their intention to destroy that nation. […]
Episode 360 – Sometimes terrorism and criminal violence cross paths When it comes to terrorism you think you know what it is and what it isn’t. Attacks are planned and/or carried out by groups or individuals who see themselves as either part of the group or inspired by it. So what happens when an alleged […]
Episode 359 – The Trump administration seems to be undermining expertise If there is one thing I know about ‘expertise’ – a term that is vastly overused IMHO – is that it takes time, a lot of time to acquire. One does not become an ‘expert’ in anything overnight (no matter what Holiday Inn Express […]
Episode 358 – Why it is important to recall earlier eras of terrorism On some occasions a person arises who dominates the headlines, and not necessarily for good reasons. When it comes to bad guys, though, and more narrowly terrorists, there are few more famous than Carlos Ilyich Ramirez, i.e. Carlos the Jackal. What was […]
Episode 357 – Southeast Africa has been beset by jihadis for at least two decades Mozambique does not garner a lot of attention on the world stage. The former Portuguese colony is tucked into the southeast corner of the African continent and tends to fly under the radar. And yet, like far too many African […]
Episode 356 – We do NOT need more terrorist group listings! In its never-ending quest to spread the terrorist listing wealth, the Trump Administration has made some odd moves of late. First, there was the decision to call drug cartels ‘terrorists’, despite the unfortunate reality that they are not terrorist groups but rather criminal organisations. […]
Episode 355 – The PRC keeps trying to shut people up it does not like ‘Sanction’ is one of those words that has two opposite meanings. On the one hand it means to support something; on the other it means to condemn something (or someone). In the latter case, we are usually talking about actions […]
Episode 354: Note to the Trump Administration: don’t ignore far right extremism! In politics, right and left are relative terms. Most people may self-describe as ‘centrist’, but we all have issues on which we lean more right (conservative) or more left (liberal). This is all natural, but what is not – and more importantly worrisome […]
Episode 353 – The terrorist group responsible for 9/11 appears to be growing…again! As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Al Qaeda (AQ) attacks in New York and Washington there is so much to reflect upon. The failure to stop the attacks and perceived holes in US intelligence. The two-decades long war in Afghanistan […]
Episode 352 – The effects of terrorist attacks do not stop in the days following the event We have all seen terrorist incidents unfolding before our very eyes, even if it is in the form of newscasts. Take 9/11, for instance. It is hard – if not impossible – to forget the image of fully-laden […]