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 261 – If you want to understand a violent ideology what better source than those who practice it? Over the past quarter century a lot has been written about terrorism and why people embrace violent ideologies. Much of this literature is academic in nature but some is very practical in nature. Borealis talks to […]
Episode 260 – Election observers as protectors of democracy Elections are the bedrock of democracy. Having free, fair, unfettered opportunities to choose one’s leaders is a privilege that not enough people on earth enjoy. There are, however, countries which claim to hold elections which are neither free nor fair. To try to monitor these occasions, […]
Episode 259 – Has terrorism as a concept run its course? Of all the UK counter-terrorism initiatives, the ‘early detection’ efforts (known as PREVENT and Channel) have been quite controversial. One of the problems lies with how we define terrorism and thus what the public should do to help authorities stop terrorist acts from occurring. […]
Episode 258 – Canada needs to step up its far north game We in the Great White North proudly describe ourselves as an “Arctic” nation. In truth, we have a large portion of that part of the globe, which is lightly inhabited, but is increasingly becoming strategic in the face of global warming. Most Canadians, […]
Episode 257 – How to tell non-violent ‘radicals’ from the violent ones The field of ‘radicalisation’ studies has been growing quickly, especially since 9/11. Practitioners and academics have seen this process as a precursor to the actual execution of acts of terrorism. But most of those who radicalise never move on to action? Why not? […]
Episode 256 – Why is Africa rife with jihadi groups? Last year the Global Terrorism Index for the first time put an African nation, Burkina Faso, at the top of its list of terrorist attacks. A phenomenon most associate with the Middle East (and West Asia: think Pakistan and Afghanistan) is now increasingly dominated by […]
Episode 255 – Are ISIS terrorists also engaged in what are known as war crimes? War is part of human history alas. Our penchant for killing one another goes back millennia and, as current events demonstrate (Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan…), it shows no signs of ebbing. Terrorism, on the other hand, is a much more recent […]
Episode 254– Would the banning of TikTok enhance Western security? That TikTok is a very popular social media platform is not debatable. There are more than 1 BILLION users worldwide and 170 million in the US alone. However, the fact that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company is raising questions. What happens to your […]
Episode 253 – Another bad year for terrorism in Africa? In its 2024 report The Global Terrorism Index, the Institute for Economics and Peace noted that for the first time an African country, Burkina Faso, took top spot in terrorist attacks. This came as a surprise to many who had become accustomed to nations in […]
Episode 252 – When the soldiers come home from a foreign deployment, what then? After 9/11 Canada was one of the first nations to send its forces to Afghanistan to find Al Qaeda and help Afghanistan oust the Taliban. Thousands of soldiers deployed and over a decade 159 died (in addition to seven civilians). Canada […]