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 283 – Why have more nations not listed the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist entity? The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is one of the oldest Islamist organisations, dating back to 1928. It is conservative in its outlook and is seen by some as the inspiration for terrorist groups such as Hamas. And yet, few countries […]
Episode 282 – How a cipher clerk opened the door on Soviet spying in the West Ah the Cold War! Those were the good old days when we knew the enemy and he knew us. Few know that the decades-long slowly simmering conflict began in Ottawa when Igor Gouzenko defected from the Soviet Embassy with […]
Episode 281 – The Horn of Africa is beset by a new, albeit odd, alliance To say that the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia) is unstable is an understatement. Whether we are talking about war, famine or terrorism, the region has had its challenges for decades. Now a working relationship between Al Qaeda-affiliated Al […]
Episode 280 – A deep look at how drug gangs are abusing the homeless in Canada When we talk about national security and public safety most people would likely go immediately to issues such as terrorism and espionage. And yet, there are many other things that pose a more immediate threat in most societies. Drug […]
Episode 279 – What, another ISIS affiliate in Africa? Mozambique achieved independence in 1974 after a long civil war with its former Portuguese colonial power. Like most African nations, however, peace and stability are not that common in the post European power era. The southeastern country has been facing down a jihadi movement affiliated with […]
Episode 278 – The spate of attacks on Jewish targets in the West is most definitely on the rise with no end in sight You would have to be asleep over the past year and a half to not notice a precipitous rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the West. Some of this is tied to […]
Episode 277 – Forty years after the Air India attack and a few years after an Indian killing of a Sikh extremist on Canadian soil Everyone remembers 9/11. That single event has become a ‘where were you when’ moment in human history. Few know, however, that prior to that cataclysmic attack, a bomb on an […]
Episode 276 – How do you adequately police the world’s second largest country? Federal police. Provincial police. Regional Police. Municipal police. A real dog’s breakfast in Canada. Does in work? Does it need a re-think? Phil talks with a former RCMP officer and municipal police chief about these issues. Spotify link About my guest Vern […]
Episode 275 – In our search for what drives terrorism have we found a new link? Of all the frustrations in life red tape has to be one of the worst. Whether it is renewing your driver’s licence or registering your dog, being faced with bad bureaucracy is frustrating for sure. But can it actually […]
Episode 274 – What did – and does – Israel get wrong about Gaza and the West Bank? Israel has faced an existential threat for decades from jihadis in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, as well as further abroad. The country’s security intelligence and military communities are amongst the best and one would assume […]