Search: “india”

Bangladesh is a country born in the paroxysms of violence 45 years ago and one that is teetering on the abyss of more bloodshed day by day.  As the country finally deals with the massacre of thousands in the early days of independence through the trials and, in some cases, executions of the perpetrators of […]

The Canadian public were made aware of a serious allegation this week that a Sikh resident in BC was running a “terror camp” near Mission, a town of around 35,000 on the Fraser River east of Vancouver.  The story came from an article in an Indian newspaper and claimed that Hardeep Nijjar was the “operational […]

When a terrorist cell is disrupted, or an individual is arrested at the airport on his or her way to Turkey to join a group like Islamic State, the media rises to the challenge and splashes the news across all platforms.  The public responds in kind and for a short time the blogosphere and news […]

Yesterday the world was forced to face yet again the possible spectre of terrorism.  An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo suddenly plummeted into the Mediterranean near the border between Greek and Egyptian airspace, after having taken some unexpected turns.  The cause of the accident remains unclear. I have long argued against what I call […]

A lot of people and a lot of governments are getting tired of the so-called “War on Terrorism”.  More and more attacks seem to be happening all the time.  What we used to think was a problem “over there” is now “over here”: Brussels, Paris, San Bernardino, Ottawa…  We cannot seem to get away from […]

We all remember when the Taliban blew up two huge Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan back in March 2001.  These religious objects, almost 1500 years old, were reduced to rubble when the extremists gleefully dynamited them and bragged about their act of demolition.  At the time, their crime made headlines around the world and was, […]

I have just finished reading an incredible book on Sri Lanka – This Divided Island by Samanth Subramanian (St Martin’s Press 2014).  The author spent months talking to people on the island as well as in the Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada and the UK about the various conflicts that have taken place over the […]

The new Liberal government in Canada has been talking about terrorism quite a bit lately.  We now have a decision on what Trudeau’s policy on Islamic State (IS) will be as well as a renewed – and much needed – emphasis on countering radicalisation in this country. And the Defence Minister, Harjit “bad-ass” Sajjan, has […]

All too often the word terrorism is associated with a Muslim, or a group of Muslims, or even a whole organisation of Muslims, who carry out acts of despicable violence against civilians.  Paris.  Nigeria.  Sinai.  Pakistan.  Somalia.  Beirut.  The list goes on and on. It is important to note that there are a great many […]

I have said it before and I will repeat it here: I am not an expert in military affairs.  Hell, I am not even a well-informed John Q Public when it comes to things military.  When I talk about the military I am bound to sound dumb. So, here it goes: my take on why […]