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Podcast Quick Hits

How much of a threat does the US pivot towards Russia pose to the West?

Episode 261 – Is anyone else weirded out by Trump’s embrace of Russia? The Cold War may seem like a historic artifact to many these days but the threat from Russia, much like the threat from the former Soviet Union and its allies, is growing once again (if it ever really diminished). One would think […]

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Perspectives

What Is Chinese AI Deeply Seeking to Accomplish?

This piece first appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on February 2, 2025. If you follow the headlines regularly you would have to conclude that China is making advancements on several key technological fronts: electric vehicles,wind turbines,lithium batteries, and rare minerals needed for industries at the forefront of the war on climate change. To this […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Terrorism, especially jihadist terrorism, remains a terrible scourge globally

Episode 262 – Terrorist deaths remain high around the world and jihadis are responsible for most of them That terrorism is a daily phenomenon somewhere in the world in any given 24-hour period should come as a surprise to no one who follows the news. Tracking terrorist attacks and groups is a full-time job, however. […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

What can be learned by talking to terrorists?

Episode 261 – If you want to understand a violent ideology what better source than those who practice it? Over the past quarter century a lot has been written about terrorism and why people embrace violent ideologies. Much of this literature is academic in nature but some is very practical in nature. Borealis talks to […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Are we defining terrorism too narrowly…or too broadly?

Episode 259 – Has terrorism as a concept run its course? Of all the UK counter-terrorism initiatives, the ‘early detection’ efforts (known as PREVENT and Channel) have been quite controversial. One of the problems lies with how we define terrorism and thus what the public should do to help authorities stop terrorist acts from occurring. […]

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Perspectives

What Are the Implications of a Canadian ‘Link’ to the New Orleans Attack?

This piece first appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on January 6, 2025. Those who toil in national security in Canada have one primary task: to keep our country safe from a plethora of threats. These range from garden-variety criminality (assaults, thefts, fraud, and acts of violence, all of which are tied to public safety […]

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Perspectives

My Wish List for a Safe and Secure Canada in 2025

This piece first appeared in The Epoch Times Canada on December 30, 2024. At the end of one year and the beginning of another it is customary to look back at what happened and speculate on what is to come. With that in mind, here is an overview of national security as we enter 2025, […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Why don’t most ‘radicals’ go on to commit terrorism?

Episode 257 – How to tell non-violent ‘radicals’ from the violent ones The field of ‘radicalisation’ studies has been growing quickly, especially since 9/11. Practitioners and academics have seen this process as a precursor to the actual execution of acts of terrorism. But most of those who radicalise never move on to action? Why not? […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

Can terrorists also be guilty of war crimes?

Episode 255 – Are ISIS terrorists also engaged in what are known as war crimes? War is part of human history alas. Our penchant for killing one another goes back millennia and, as current events demonstrate (Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan…), it shows no signs of ebbing. Terrorism, on the other hand, is a much more recent […]

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Canadian Intelligence Eh! Podcast

What’s in store for terrorism in Africa in 2025?

Episode 253 – Another bad year for terrorism in Africa? In its 2024 report The Global Terrorism Index, the Institute for Economics and Peace noted that for the first time an African country, Burkina Faso, took top spot in terrorist attacks. This came as a surprise to many who had become accustomed to nations in […]