Some terrorist groups are threatening to carry out terrorism during the COVID-19 crisis. How realistic is this and, more importantly, how afraid should we be in light of terrorist propaganda. In this time of COVID-19 we have enough to worry about without freaking out about terrorism! See our COVID-19 coverage at https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/tag/coronavirus/ In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, ...
Mar 23, 2020•9 min
As the world obsesses about COVID-19 could terrorists take advantage of our lack of focus? Will we see more terrorist attacks? If so, which groups will be most active - jihadis or the far right? All this is discussed in the latest Quick Hit. The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and governments are having a hard time keeping up with strategies to respond and react effectively to keep their citizenry safe. Some countries appeared to dismiss the seriousness of the virus for far too long, whil...
Mar 23, 2020•10 min
We are all worried about COVID-19 but does it constitute a 'national security' or a 'public safety' threat? How does it compare to terrorism? Have a listen! The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and governments are having a hard time keeping up with strategies to respond and react effectively to keep their citizenry safe. Some countries appeared to dismiss the seriousness of the virus for far too long (hello Trump administration), while others imposed what some felt were draconian measures ...
Mar 20, 2020•11 min
We are not sure how bad COVID-19 will get and we are all concerned. What are the national security implications? The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and governments are having a hard time keeping up with strategies to respond and react effectively to keep their citizenry safe. Some countries appeared to dismiss the seriousness of the virus for far too long, while others imposed what some felt were draconian measures (China, Singapore) that would not fly in a Western liberal democracy. See...
Mar 19, 2020•10 min
Who was Abdallah Azzam and what was his role in modern Islamist terrorism? Listen to my chat with Norwegian scholar Thomas Hegghammer on his new book on the jihadi ideologue. Thomas Hegghammer is a Norwegian academic who writes about terrorism and jihadism. He work as senior research fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) and adjunct professor of political science at the University of Oslo. His latest book The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad was publish...
Mar 18, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 33
The inevitable has happened - officials are calling for a 'war' on COVID-19. Wars on common nouns are NEVER good ideas. In this Quick Hits podcast, Phil explains why we must refrain from using military terminology during this crisis. The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and governments are having a hard time keeping up with strategies to respond and react effectively to keep their citizenry safe. Some countries appeared to dismiss the seriousness of the virus for far too long, while others...
Mar 17, 2020•10 min
The coronavirus is causing a lot of fear and anxiety around the world and is starting to affect behaviour and choices. Is this rational? How does it compare to our fear and reaction to terrorism? The world is in a COVID-19 (Corona virus) panic. People are living in fear and cancelling events and travel. What, if any, are the parallels with terrorism?. The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving and governments are having a hard time keeping up with strategies to respond and react effectively to k...
Mar 10, 2020•10 min
The small North African nation of Tunisia was one of the largest sources of ISIS foreign fighters. Borealis speaks with Aaron Zelin, author of a new book on jihad in Tunisia to get some insights. Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a visiting research scholar at Brandeis University. He is the author of the forthcoming book Your Sons Are At Your Service: Tunisia’s Missionaries of Jihad (Columbia University Press). Zelin is also the found...
Mar 09, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 32
How close have you been to a terrorist attack? Not too close I hope. This Quick Hits podcast looks at what it means to be near to one of these events. From my point of view, I have been tantalisingly close to 3 acts of terrorism (2 in Canada and 1 in France) in my career as an Intelligence Analyst with the Canadian Government. Please share your experience in the comment section below. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's d...
Mar 04, 2020•11 min
Near hours after police moved in to inforce an injonction and remove a rail blockade near Belleville, other poped up affecting trains and services. To discuss the security and safety implications, as well as economic fallout from the blockade, Libby is joined by Phil Gurski and Ted Mallet (Chief Economist at the Canadian Federation of Independant Business). > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism...
Mar 03, 2020•6 min
A recent poll shows a majority of Canadians think this country is 'broken'. Is it? Let's look at our history of political violence to see if that is true, shall we? > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on...
Mar 02, 2020•10 min
In 2006 Canadians woke up to hear that 17 Muslim Canadians had been arrested in a terrorism plot. Much of the success in foiling their plans was due to a human source/agent named Mubin Shaikh. He joins me to talk about his role and related matters on this podcast. Mubin Shaikh is a former security intelligence and counter terrorism operative. He has testified as an expert for the United Nations Security Council, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs wit...
Feb 27, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 31
A case in Toronto where a man allegedly killed a woman with a hammer is taking an interesting twist as his murder charges have been upped to terrorism? What do we know so far and why would police do this? > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and mo...
Feb 26, 2020•11 min
We use the word terrorism to describe all kinds of people and groups. Sometimes the term is used frivolously. We really need to stop doing that. > Read National Post article > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of f...
Feb 24, 2020•9 min
Many Western nations are seeing a rise in neo-Nazi extremism. What should we collectively do about these actors? Send them to moon - or is that a 'loony' idea? > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terr...
Feb 20, 2020•11 min
How we define terrorism matters. Using inaccurate terminology could affect how we manage it. In this episode we see how the US system is unhelpful. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is no...
Feb 15, 2020•11 min
What happens when you gather together a former AQ bombmaker, a guy who wanted to be a monk and a former CSIS analyst to talk about terrorism? You get a great Borealis podcast! An ex-Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy and a former monk turned filmmaker, have been embedded at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East. Together Aimen Dean and Thomas Small unpack the realities of war, fundamentalism and their global implications through first-hand experience. In this episode, Aimen and Thomas join Phil ...
Feb 11, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 30
A better understanding of terrorism requires that we look at a much wider set of information, like foreign affairs and foreign policy. Have a listen to me chatting with Twitch streamer Destiny on a broad range of topics all tied to terrorism (Iran, Israel-Palestine, and many more!) ►Follow Destiny on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC554eY5jNUfDq3yDOJYirOQ When it comes to talking about terrorism it is not enough to limit the discussion to specific terrorist groups or terrorist acts. Th...
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Science fiction usually is a comment on current events. In this podcast I explore how a recent novel asks important questions about whether we can really stop all forms of terrorism. In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in...
Jan 29, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 28
The arrest of Canadian Patrik Mathews, a member of The Base, in conjunction with a terrorist plot demonstrates that there are almost always signs of violent radicalisation. We should not ignore them. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism...
Jan 28, 2020•9 min
Reports that the Somali terrorist group Al Shabaab may be in a 'tactical alliance' with Iran are an extraordinary claim and such require extraordinary evidence. None is forthcoming In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in i...
Jan 21, 2020•8 min
There are lots of regimes that are odious and which we would we better off without. But if we act to overthrow them are we ready to deal with the consequences? In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Can...
Jan 21, 2020•10 min
"Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it" . We are forgetting our history and thus making terrorism worse. In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Canada to the greater West to the world, ...
Jan 14, 2020•11 min
What will the world of terrorism bring us in 2020? Spoiler alert - more terrorism. In this podcast, Borealis looks at terrorist trends this year. In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Canada to the gre...
Jan 14, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Intelligence is an important part of decision making but what happens when the officials using intelligence can't be trusted? In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Canada to the greater West to the wor...
Jan 12, 2020•9 min
The Iran-US mini-conflict seems to have ebbed - what is really at stake here? In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Canada to the greater West to the world, subscribe to listen to the thoughts of a per...
Jan 11, 2020•9 min
Many people take religion seriously but is it ok to take violent action against someone who makes fun of your faith? In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, author of five books on terrorism, is not shy to wade into controversial matters and provide his perspective honed from more than three decades in intelligence. From Canada to the greater West to the world, subsc...
Jan 09, 2020•9 min
Phil Gurski from Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting joins The Morning Rush to break down the latest breaking news from Iran. A Kyiv-bound Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 176 people on board. The cause of the crash, which came hours after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on U.S. positions in Iraq for the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was not immediately known. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like ...
Jan 08, 2020•10 min
Iran attack: US troops targeted with ballistic missiles. 'This is localized conflict, not WWIII' says Phil Gurski, President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting, former Iranian analyst at CSE and CSIS. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, development...
Jan 08, 2020•9 min
Dave talks to former CSIS analyst Phil Gurski of Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting about the short-term and long-term implications of the killing of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani. > borealisthreatandrisk.com > Like this podcast? Check out Phil Gurski's latest books ! > Read Phil's daily blog Today in Terrorism In this podcast, retired Canadian intelligence analyst Phil Gurski discusses the subject of terrorism: what it is (and isn’t), trends, developments and more. Phil Gurski, a...
Jan 05, 2020•10 min
