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Perspectives

Is all fair in love and counterterrorism?

How far do we expect or allow national security agencies to go in stopping violent extremism?

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Phil in the media Video

CTV News – Allegation against CSIS

Phil Gurski from Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting on how CSIS gathers information for national security or public safety purposes.

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Iran and the Houthis and the war in the Persian Gulf

Episode 341 – A close relationship may be under some stress Iran really likes to sponsor Shia groups worldwide. As the world’s largest Shia state, Iran sees itself as a protector of sorts, given that Shiites are far outweighed by Sunni Muslims. One of those benefactors is the Houthi group (known by some as Ansarallah) […]

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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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Podcast Spies Like Us

Chinese whispers can be bad for Canada

Season 3 Special Summer Episode – Spies go where it is necessary with no trepidation (kudos to Canada’s “first” spy) After a successful Spies and Spirits event at the Luckhurst Distillery in Kelowna BC, the lads weigh in on the role Sir William Stephenson (a.k.a. ‘Intrepid’) played in the creation of the Canadian intelligence community […]

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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 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 […]