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Keep calm and carry on

I have just returned from spending three wonderful days in New York City.  Broadway.  Central Park.  American Museum of Natural History.  Bryant Park.  The city that never sleeps.  And the city that is never far from the attention and aspiration of terrorists. When I used to work in security intelligence it always struck me that […]

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Perspectives

When terrorists infiltrate legitimate protest

And so the outrage begins.  A Transport Canada report that states that terrorists could use legitimate, Charter-protected protest activity as a cover to carry out violence (see story here) has caused a kerfuffle.  A director with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has expressed concern that the report and its authors paints “(lawful) activism as a […]

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Should thinking about violence be punished?

One of the greatest challenges a society has to face with respect to the delicate balance between privacy and freedom of thought and national security has to do with when organs of the state are allowed to take an interest in the activities of its citizens when those activities are believed to constitute a threat […]

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How NOT to defeat terrorism

It is natural in the wake of a catastrophic attack for people to be upset and angry and even vengeful.  Emotions are raw and there are immediate calls to “do something”.  Problems that have been around for a long time suddenly get more attention, but rather than a sober, measured response, we leap towards knee-jerk […]

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The reach of Islamic State

I have gone on record several times to state that Islamic State (IS) does not pose an existential threat to anybody.  It can certainly cause havoc and mayhem and destruction but there is no way that this motley crew of extremists is ever going to threaten the world.  Yes, it has a state – sort […]

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Ignoring the terrorism threat – a good thing

I went to a football game yesterday (Canadian – not American – football – not soccer).  The local professional team, the Ottawa Red Blacks, was playing against the Hamilton Tiger Cats for the honour of going to the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League championship, in Winnipeg next Sunday.  It was a glorious late fall […]

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Refugees and terrorism

The debate on refugees has taken a nasty turn in Canada and the US.  Some US Republican Presidential candidates have repugnantly suggested that the country take in only Christians.  Several governors have refused to take in any refugees from Syria.  In this country, several officials, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, have called on the Trudeau […]

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How safe are we?

In  the wake of the attacks in Paris in November 2015, which were merely the latest in what must seem to many Canadians as a never-ending series of murders and bombings, many are asking why and when this scourge will end.  Several have commented publicly – including at least one provincial premier – that we […]

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Terrorism begins at home sometimes

In the wake of the Paris attacks and continuing developments, we have been inundated with dire warnings that everything has changed. These attacks were the harbinger of a “new wave” of terrorism  now that Islamic State has left the confines of Syria-Iraq and decided to spread its carnage elsewhere (Egypt, Lebanon, France…).   So much […]

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Brothers in arms?

Last week I was asked to speak at the Canadian Military Intelligence Association annual conference in Ottawa. The speakers’ list included the Canadian National Security Advisor (and former Director of CSIS) Richard Fadden and Chief of Defence Staff General Vance. The day was well attended by members of the Canadian intelligence community. On the tables […]