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, […]
As I sit looking at a torrential downpour out my kitchen window on this Saturday morning July 1 I am nevertheless quietly happy to reflect on what it means to me to be a Canadian on my nation’s 150th anniversary. For many today the weather here in Ottawa is reflective of a sour mood. Many […]
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What to do about Afghanistan?
I have come to know the journalist Michael Petrou over the past few years. He would sometimes call me to seek my views on terrorism when he was with Macleans magazine and I relied heavily on his book ‘Renegades’ – the story of Canadians in the Spanish Civil War – for a section of my […]
A pattern is emerging when it comes to the aftermath of a terrorist attack in the West. People of all faiths and backgrounds denounce the attack, politicians swear that their nations will not be cowed by fear, candles and late-night vigils abound, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris is lit with the colours of the […]
Terrorism is a dirty, dangerous business. Terrorists are nasty people who engage in nasty acts. To thwart attacks you have to work with sources and groups whose reputations are, shall we say, unsavoury. As former CSIS Deputy Director Jack Hooper once said, however indelicately, “sometimes you have to take the ugly girl to the dance”. […]
There are few places on Earth more pitiable than Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa that is about the size of South Africa. It ranks in the bottom ten with respect to poverty, has one of the world’s largest birth rates (6 children per mother), and has a serious terrorist problem to boot. It […]
My late mother had a lot of great advice for me, much of which I followed and much of which has helped me immensely in life. One maxim that she shared with me has been ignored however. That would be the time she said it is a good idea never to engage in conversation on […]
It is really hard to come up with a definition of terrorism that all agree on. Every country seems to have its own version and while there are of course similarities there are also differences and some of these may have legal ramifications. Then there is the non-legal definition: i.e. what the average person thinks […]