Canadian Intelligence Eh

With so much written about terrorism these days it is easy to forget that there is actual counter terrorism work to be done.  Identifying terrorists, following them, interviewing them, stopping them - this is real CT work.  Borealis talks with veteran FBI agent Brig Barker about his years helping to prevent terrorist attacks.

Brig Barker is a proven counterterrorism agent/supervisor/senior level manager, with numerous extended deployments to the Middle East and Africa. 26 years of U.S. government and military operational experience working in both domestic and overseas environments.

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

What is the world of CVE (Countering Violent Extremism) all about?  Many acronyms, many mandates, many claims.  What is the reality of all this?  Borealis is joined by Mike King.

Mike King,  a social psychologist working on violent extremism, radicalization, & CVE.  Director of Research at Edmonton's Organization for the Prevention of Violence and an Adjunct Professor at University of Toronto .

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

The facts are that most terrorist attacks in the world are carried out by Muslims and most victims are Muslim.  Why, then, are many in the Islamic world in denial about these facts?  Borealis is joined by UK activist  and Sufi Muslim Ahmed Patel to talk about these issues.

Ahmed Patel, the brother-in-law of the London 7/7 bomber Mohammed Siddique, is an excellent example of a British Muslim who stood up against religious radicalization. From an outside observer’s perspective, it would appear that people like Patel are authentic actors in the field of prevention work and should therefore be included to a greater extent in British (non-) governmental PVE approaches. Find out more about Ahmed.

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Quick Hits #178 - Conspiracy theories are as old as time and most are utterly ridiculous.  Those who suscribe to them are for the most part harmless.  On rare occasions, a person will decide to act on them in a violent way.  How serious is this threat? 

Borealis looks at the infamous 'Q' of QAnon to delve into this issue.

See also:
►Are end-of-Earthers and conspiracy theorists that dangerous?
►America’s QAnon problem is infecting Canada. What should we do about it?
►Years After Being Debunked, Interest in Pizzagate Is Rising—Again

About the host Phil Gurski:
Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

There are so many voices out there when it comes to terrorism and what it all means.  This makes it hard to know whom to talk and listen to.  Borealis has a great talk with James Dorsey, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, a syndicated columnist and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer.

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Quick Hits #177 - An ongoing UK inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack in which 22 died and hundreds were  injured is raising serious questions about what UK intelligence knew and when regarding this ISIS-inspired plot. 

Is the ensuing criticism fair?  Borealis provides a former insider's perspective on how counter terrorism actually works.

About the host Phil Gurski:
Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

The movement of money around the world is dizzying.  Not surprisingly, bad actors use these platforms to finance their operations.  So what is being done about it?  Borealis has an in-depth conversation with former RCMP officer and money laundering/terrorist financing specialist Archie Alafriz.

Archie Alafriz is a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who served most of his career in the National Security Program. He is a threat finance (AML/CFT) specialist and a published author. He is a senior fellow at the Global Peace Institute (UK) and sits on the Board of Directors of IOSI Global.

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

How is the 'war on terrorism' going?  What are we doing well?  Not well?  What are our moral obligations to those suffering under terrorist rule?  Borealis President Phil Gurski talks with Conor to talk about this and more - have a listen!

►Watch Conor on Youtube

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Quick Hits #176 - Terrorists like to portray themselves as masterminds of violence. Some are pretty dumb.

See also:
►Top 10 Worst Terrorist Group Names
►Top 10 Worst Right-Wing Extremism Group Names

About the host Phil Gurski:
Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]

Canada is a big county and when it comes to security there are multiple levels of jurisdiction: municipal, provincial, first nations and federal.  How do all the players get along in the national security sandbox?  Borealis has a fascinating discussion with Canadian Senator Vern White, former RCMP and Chief of Police in Durham and Ottawa

Senator White has worked with the RCMP, moving through the ranks from Constable to Assistant Commissioner. He has served in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and spent almost 19 years in the three northern territories. He was Chief of Police for the Durham Region as well as the City of Ottawa.

Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.

►Check Phil's latest book ''The Peaceable Kingdom'' - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/the-peaceable-kingdom/
►Website - https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
►Twitter - https://twitter.com/borealissaves
►LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/
►Email - [email protected]