I, and many others, have often been criticised for using the term Islamist terrorism or Islamist violent extremism. My critics have accused me of conflating Islam and terrorism and giving fodder to all the bigots and idiots out there that really do believe there is an intrinsic link between the faith of a billion and […]
Search: “israel”
We found 280 results for your search.
There is no question that fear sells. The latest Stephen King film about an evil clown – It – grossed over $120 million in its first three days after all. We are odd in that we both fear fear and we are entertained by it – go figure. But fear is not always helpful, unless you […]
Donald Trump promised during his presidential campaign that if elected to the highest office in the land that he would do things differently. No more Washington business as usual, he said. This was welcomed by many who are convinced that the capital, and by extension the government, had fallen into paralysis and inefficiency. What better […]
The President of the US is a very powerful person. The so-called leader of the free world has a lot of influence on all kinds of issues and has a great deal of leeway in deciding what to say and do (within the system of checks and balances of course). The current holder of office, […]
Categories
When terrorists become statesmen
I see that Martin McGuinness died the other day. Mr. McGuinness was an Irish republican, a member of the Sinn Fein political party and, until he left politics in part because he was stricken with cancer, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2007 to early 2017. He was also, according to some, a […]
Categories
Jumping the gun on terrorism – again
I know that in a world of 24/7 news and intense competition to be first with a breaking story that time is of the essence. Individuals and news outlets feel that they do not have the luxury to wait to publish for fear that another individual or outlet will scoop them. In their haste, there […]
Last week news came out that two grassroots organisations in Minneapolis had received between them over $600,000 to do CVE (Countering Violent Extremism) work in the state of Minnesota, as part of a $10 million disbursement by the US Department of Homeland Security in what has been called an ongoing, but controversial, programme. Minneapolis is […]
Categories
When fake news makes us less safe
Think what you want about fake news, or “alternative facts” as they are now known, but I think we can all agree that this is not a good development. People can definitely disagree on what facts mean and what their implications are, but it is simply wrong and indefensible to say that something is X […]
I am a glass half full kind of guy, someone who seeks to find the positive in life. I am an optimist tinged with realism. Three decades in intelligence and 15 years in counter terrorism do tend to give one a good look at the less savoury aspects of life on this planet and as […]
Categories
Why do terrorists hate the Ahmadis?
Thank God for reporters like Stewart Bell of the National Post. Now that I am outside the realm of state secrets I have come to rely on people like him to do the investigative legwork that keeps me informed on what is going on in the world of terrorism, both in Canada and abroad. Just […]