In January 1842 the British army suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in its history, a defeat memorialised in a painting entitled Remnants of an Army (shown above). The British were massacred in retreating from Kabul in what is now known as the First Anglo-Afghan War, part of the ‘Great Game’ between Imperial Russia […]
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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 […]
Episode 354: Note to the Trump Administration: don’t ignore far right extremism! In politics, right and left are relative terms. Most people may self-describe as ‘centrist’, but we all have issues on which we lean more right (conservative) or more left (liberal). This is all natural, but what is not – and more importantly worrisome […]
Episode 353 – The terrorist group responsible for 9/11 appears to be growing…again! As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Al Qaeda (AQ) attacks in New York and Washington there is so much to reflect upon. The failure to stop the attacks and perceived holes in US intelligence. The two-decades long war in Afghanistan […]
Episode 338 – Pirates can help terrorist groups – we need to pay more attention to this The stereotypical view of pirates is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Hollywood. These depictions do not show the very violent actions carried out by pirates. Despite international treaties that define this phenomenon it does get the attention it deserves, […]
Episode 334 – Is the world stumbling into a remake of the terrorist safe haven that led to 9/11? After the horror of 9/11 it was logical – and completely justifiable – to go after those behind the attacks. As it turned out, the group responsible – Al Qaeda (AQ) – was based in Afghanistan […]
Episode 328 – Violence abroad rarely stays abroad Well, the world is in a state these days, isn’t it? War in Iran. War in Gaza. War in Lebanon. Closure of the Straits of Hormuz. An ongoing civil war in Yemen. And that is just the Middle East! When it comes to terrorism in the West, […]
Episode 302 – How hard is it to leave a terrorist group? Joining a terrorist group has to be one of life’s more complicated decisions. Do I believe in the cause? Am I aware of what the group actually does? What if I change my mind? Can I get out or will I be killed […]
Episode 291 – The world should help women and girls fleeing Taliban misogynist rule If it is one thing jihadi terrorists are known for it is their hatred of women. While they claim to be ‘pure’ Muslims who treat women in accordance with Islamic law they are in fact vile misogynists. Of these extremists there […]
Episode 270 – Is drone warfare changing how we see armed conflict? If the war in Ukraine is teaching us anything it is that drones – both surveillance ones as well as those that fire missiles at the enemy – are changing the landscape. Their small size, cheapness (i.e. they are not expensive to build […]