Search: “far right”

I swore to myself I would never argue with anything that comes out of the mouth of aspiring Clown in Chief Donald Trump for fear of lowering myself to whatever abyss he calls home, but here I am doing exactly that.  Thankfully, since I am really only keen to talk about terrorism in this blog, […]

In the run-up to the British referendum on whether to stay in the European Union or not there were many dire predictions on how a leave vote would effect the United Kingdom.  We are already seeing significant economic fallout and the weeks and months to follow will likely bring more negative consequences in the political […]

When we write and talk about foreign fighters we are normally referring to the phenomenon of outsiders who travel to engage in combat in a land that is not theirs.  More specifically, at least these days, we are focused on those joining up with terrorist groups like Islamic State and Jabhat al Nusra which are […]

The state of freedom of speech seems to be a hot topic these days.  The Economist devoted a recent cover story to it.  UK scholar Timothy Garton Ash has just written a critically acclaimed book on the issue.  Every day we read of new assaults on journalists and activists in China, Russia, Egypt (two Al […]

Another terrorist attack, another desperate search for meaning.  The bodies were still warm in Orlando when the speculation about the killer and his motive began in earnest.  Not surprisingly, the event dominated world news – as it should – and the usual parade of experts and analysts were asked to explain everything immediately despite the […]

There is obviously a difference between thought and action.   While it is generally true that most actions are preceded by thought, save I suppose rash emotional or instinctive/involuntary acts, it is also true that many thoughts do not lead to action.   If you think about all the thoughts you have in a given […]

When a terrorist cell is disrupted, or an individual is arrested at the airport on his or her way to Turkey to join a group like Islamic State, the media rises to the challenge and splashes the news across all platforms.  The public responds in kind and for a short time the blogosphere and news […]

The controversy surrounding the Canadian government’s use of the tool known as National Security Certificates does not seem to want to go away.  A Federal Court judge has ruled that the government’s case against one more alleged terrorist, Mahmoud Jaballah, is not reasonable and the certificate issued against him in 1999 will be set aside. […]

There have been few bills in recent years in this country that have been so debated – and so vilified – as C-51, an ambitious bill passed during the last Parliament by the former governing Conservatives to change how national security is protected in Canada.  The bill became law thanks to the majority Harper government […]

We’ve all heard the phrase “flying while Muslim”,  a reality that underscores the sorry state of affairs in Western societies in the post 9/11 period.  Muslims are disproportionately singled out for special attention at airports and elsewhere.  The genuine concern over terrorism, which is real and not some state-driven campaign to garner support, has given […]