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Usually it is all about the radicalisers

After four years and almost 1,000 blogs (have I really written that many??) it should not surprise anyone that there has been some repetition along the way. As this is a blog on terrorism there can’t be that much to say, can there? Yes, unfortunately, there is always some heinous act against innocent people to […]

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Perspectives

Is tit for tat terrorism now inevitable?

When you are a child your first instinct is to hit back at others who have hit you or with whom you are frustrated (I see this a bit with my 19-month old grandson). We have to be taught not to lash out at others – in other words to resist our natural reactions. This […]

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Perspectives

Afghanistan, terrorism and Canada: the nexus that never goes away

This piece appeared in The Hill Times on April 15, 2019 As all Canadians know, our country has a longstanding relationship with Afghanistan. In the aftermath of 9/11 the government decided to send our military, first special forces, then regular troops, to engage in what began as counter terrorism (CT) and ended as a combination […]

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Sri Lanka has seen its share of terrorism. Today is no exception alas

If there is one nation that for many of us evoked the spectre of terrorism at one time in recent history it could be Sri Lanka. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organisation that fought what it saw as egregious Sinhalese domination in the country (most Sri Lankans – 67% – are […]

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The terrorist who took his time

If you are really seized with an issue – and I mean really, really burning with zeal and a desire to right a perceived wrong – would you not want to put your commitment to the test as soon as you could? Would you not want to show the world that what you fervently believe […]

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Why going after Iran to compensate 9/11 victims’ families means we have entered the Twilight Zone

There are times I read something and stop suddenly, asking myself “did I read that right?”, or “did I somehow get the message wrong?” Perhaps I skipped over the text and missed some detail (like yesterday when I thought I had a conference call that day which is actually taking place May 1). Maybe I […]

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The terrorist attack that wasn’t – probably. Part two

Last week a devastating fire broke out in the popular Byward Market area of Ottawa and caused significant damage to several restaurants, including one of my favourites. The fire took hours to get under control in part due to the connectedness of the structure and the fact that some of the buildings date back to […]

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Support for Sikh extremism in Canada never disappeared completely

In the lead-up to an election politicians pander to certain constituencies. That is just what they do. It is all in the context of getting votes. Even if the concessions granted go against longstanding policies or are baldly contradictory, a vote is a vote. In some ridings in our country there are noteworthy concentrations of […]

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It would be nice if we could agree on a definition of terrorism

If I were to ask ten people chosen at random what ‘terrorism’ means, I’d likely get some combinations of the following: it involves killing or trying to kill civilians; it is inspired by an idea – religious, political, ideological or something along that line; it is usually carried out by non-state actors; terrorists want to […]

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How NOT to wage the ‘war on terrorism

For those who have been following me over the years you know that the title of this blog is a little facetious. I have been arguing for a long time that the phrase ‘the war on terrorism’ is not helpful and should be dropped. Hell, I even wrote a book about it! Still, even I […]