I am enjoying a relaxing weekend at my brother’s house in London, Ontario, a welcome respite after a number of speaking engagements in a variety of places recently. This is where I was born, where I grew up, where I went to school – elementary, secondary and university – and where I will always consider […]
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The Canada-Trinidad terrorism link
Every year many Canadians flock to Trinidad and Tobago to escape the harsh winter climate. In addition, there are some 70,000 Canadians of Trinidadian stock, including one of the hosts of CBC’s The National, Ian Hanomansing, and pop singer Amanda Marshall. The ties between the two nations run deep. Alas, these ties also extend to […]
If there is one thing I learned over three decades in the intelligence business it is that decisions on how to do intelligence are best left to intelligence professionals. Agencies responsible for intelligence are of course subject to the democratic governments we elect and they cannot (and should not) ‘go rogue’, engaging in activity that […]
This article appeared in The Hill Times on January 29, 2018 http://www.hilltimes.com/2018/01/29/link-immigration-terrorism/132069 Canada is a nation of immigrants, of that there is no question. Our historical openness to those around the world has made us the country we are, warts and all. And while immigration waves have varied over the centuries – my own family was […]
One would think that a state has fundamental rights and obligations in the same way that people do. Any state must, for instance, have a monopoly on the use of force since in the absence of such we would live in anarchy. I agree that the state exists only – or rather should exist only […]
I suppose that in many ways none of this should be unexpected. Its obviousness does not make it right, however. There are lots of things that we do not question that are nevertheless the wrong way of looking at things. I am referring here to the belief that we are at ‘war with terrorism’. The […]
If there is one shining light in the aftermath of the Arab Spring it is Tunisia. Not that the competition is very tough. Egypt went from an elected Muslim Brotherhood (MB) government to a military one under General Sisi. Bahrain’s short-lived revolution is no more. And as for Syria, well I really don’t think I […]
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 […]
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Why Spain, why now?
Now that Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the horror in Barcelona many people are asking ‘Why Spain?’ France, the UK and Belgium they understand since there has been a spate of attacks in recent years. Perhaps even Sweden and Germany are on some peoples’ list even if these nations have suffered comparatively less. In […]
There is indeed good news coming out of western Iraq and eastern Syria these days. When is the last time anyone said that? Islamic State (IS), a truly barbaric terrorist group if there ever was one, is on the outs. It is about to lose Mosul and maybe even Raqqa and, according to recent reports, […]