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Perspectives

Today in Terrorism: 8 November 2003, Bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

On this day in 2003, a Saudi Arabia compound was hit by multiple bombs attributed to Al Qaeda.

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

PTSD among our protectors needs to be addressed

Episode 340 – First responders and those who deal with bad actors are exposed to very serious consequences Imagine you are a cop or a paramedic. On a daily basis, you are likely to have to deal with some very nasty stuff: severely wounded people or dead ones, and some truly evil individuals who like […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

We need to take the rise in anti-Semitism more seriously

Episode 339 – Concrete steps to counter hate are a good thing Anti-Semitic acts are not new, unfortunately. Hatred of Jews goes back millennia, culminating in the Holocaust which led to the industrialisation of mass murder of Jews. Since the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza, it appears […]

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Podcast

Why is the Canadian government undermining security screening?

Phil’s Phathomings Episode 1 – Canada needs to ensure that immigrants do not bring nefarious plans to our country Canada, like many other nations, needs robust immigration. Our fertility rates are dropping below the 2.1 minimum to keep our population stable and immigrants can help grow our economy. The vast majority of those who seek […]

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Podcast Quick Hits

Do infrequent intelligence ‘failures’ drain trust in our spies?

Episode 278 – We all make mistakes, even spooks. Humans are fallible: that we know. One hopes that those in specialised trades – doctors, lawyers, etc. – get more things right than wrong. If not, it is a legitimate question: should they be in those professions? What about intelligence agencies? Should they have perfect records […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Is nihilism much ado about nothing?

Episode 337 – what do we gain from adding more and more to the list of terrorism types? Of late there have been many attempts – some successful some not – to add more groups to lists of terrorist entities. Those behind such efforts may have good intentions, although I suspect some are just trying […]

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Podcast Quick Hits

Why it is important to let police do their jobs

Episode 277 – We need to channel our inner Dragnet when faced with new information: just the facts ma’am Ok, I get it. The media want to be first to get a story out and be definitive on what it all means. As a consequence, they tend to reach out to (self-styled) ‘experts’ to weigh […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Why psychology and terrorism are linked

Episode 335 – A new handbook helps practitioners better understand terrorism If you were to ask the average person about terrorists you would probably hear that the consensus is that there is strong underlying mental illness. Is this true (hint: no)? What, then, can psychologists and other academics do to help counter terrorism professionals identify […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Is Syria’s leader still a jihadi or not?

Episode 333 – Is it wise to see an ‘ex’ jihadi as the best hope for Syria? Hip hip hooray for Syria! The hated Assad regime is done, hopefully for ever. The country could enter a new era – fingers crossed – but the new leader is a man who is a ?former? terrorist, Ahmed […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Why Oman should play a bigger role in the Persian Gulf conflict

Episode 332 – With the US/Israel and Iran at war, a party that gets along with everyone is indispensable I am fairly certain that most people have either never heard of Oman or could not find it on a map. This small sultanate does not garner many headlines but is, oddly enough, one of the […]