Categories
Perspectives

Reflections on yet another terrorist attack in France

I guess we would call what happened in Strasbourg yesterday evening a case of deja-vu, and not just because that particular phrase is French in origin. A man armed with both a knife and a gunman attacked shoppers at that eastern French city’s famous Christmas market around 8 PM when he opened fire, killing at […]

Categories
Perspectives

Take Omar Khadr – please!

OK, OK, I am getting fed up with hearing about the Khadr family and I am pretty sure I am not alone in this.  Canada’s #1 Al Qaeda-supporting clan has been a pain in the ass for decades and I for one just want them to go away – literally if possible.  They have become […]

Categories
Perspectives

How the decision to go to war made the ‘War on Terrorism’ worse

A little less than a month ago we marked (‘celebrated’ is definitely the wrong word) the centenary of the end of the First World War.  This was a solemn occasion on which we recalled the deaths, injuries and destruction in not only the ‘Great War’ but also in WWII, the Korean War and others.  It […]

Categories
Perspectives

The ill-named ‘war on terrorism’ is not going well

The title of this blog is biased, of that there is no doubt. This offering is also perhaps not really necessary as Rowman and Littlefield have just published my 4th book, An End to the War on Terrorism, in which I have a much longer discussion on the premise of this much shorter piece.  So […]

Categories
Perspectives

Removing citizenship from terrorists is fraught with difficulties

As we continue to freak out about what to do with those of our citizens who stupidly chose to leave the comforts of our lands to join terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda (AQ), Al Shabaab and others, or planned terrorist acts in our backyards, we still need to follow our laws and […]

Categories
Perspectives

Why we should not be in a rush to repatriate Canadian IS fighters – part two

While this may strike some people as arrogant and dismissive I have to confess that when I listen to ‘experts’ talk about national security issues in the media I first look at who is speaking. Some of those who offer opinions are journalists, others are politicians or political junkies, still others are academics. All have interesting perspectives […]

Categories
Perspectives

Why joining a terrorist group should be enough to convict

I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before but here it is again. When I worked for CSIS and my colleagues and I had occasion to talk to Canadians who had traveled to Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda we would often hear some lame excuse from the returnees as to what they did while in […]

Categories
Perspectives

Why joining a terrorist group should be enough to convict

I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before but here it is again.  When I worked for CSIS and my colleagues and I had occasion to talk to Canadians who had traveled to Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda we would often hear some lame excuse from the returnees as to what they did while […]

Categories
Perspectives

Why we should not be in a rush to repatriate Canadian IS fighters – part two

While this may strike some people as arrogant and dismissive I have to confess that when I listen to ‘experts’ talk about national security issues in the media I first look at who is speaking.  Some of those who offer opinions are journalists, others are politicians or political junkies, still others are academics.  All have […]

Categories
Perspectives

What should Canada do with ‘Abu Turaab’ (IS foreign fighter)?

The stories of so-called ‘foreign fighters’ – outsiders who left their homelands to hook up with terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda (AQ) and others – are a dime a dozen.  Literally.  As estimates range up to 40,000 who joined IS alone over the past five years or so, one can be excused […]