Latest Intelligence community Podcast Episodes
Quick Hits | So long and thanks for all the fish
Canadian Intelligence Eh - April 08, 2022 14:00 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsBorealis has had a good run since 2015 - podcasts, blogs, media interviews, etc. not to mention six books on terrorism. It is time, however, to move on. This is the last podcast... for now. About the host Phil Gurski: Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. a...
Episode #134 - What keeps French security forces up at night?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - April 06, 2022 10:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsFrance could be seen as the 'birthplace' of terrorism - think the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution of the 1790s. The country has seen some catastrophic attacks such as the Stade de France/Bataclan jihadi one of November 2015. A new report discusses the state of terrorism in France...
Episode #133 - What can ordinary citizens do to stop radicalisation to violence?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 31, 2022 04:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhen an arrest is made in a terrorism case or, worst case scenario, we are doing a post-analysis of an attack, we often read about a person's 'radicalisation process'. The assumption is that terrorists are made, not born, and that there are signs to look for before it is too late. Borealis tal...
Episode 132 - Anders Breivik: What to do with terrorist mass murderers behind bars?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 23, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThere are two types of terrorists: those who die/are killed in their attacks and those who are not. The latter usually end up in prison for long periods of time. Then what? Borealis talks once again with Norwegian CT analyst Atle Mesoy on the infamous Anders Breivik case from 2011. ►Listen t...
Episode #132 - Anders Breivik: What to do with terrorist mass murderers behind bars?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 23, 2022 10:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThere are two types of terrorists: those who die/are killed in their attacks and those who are not. The latter usually end up in prison for long periods of time. Then what? Borealis talks once again with Norwegian CT analyst Atle Mesoy on the infamous Anders Breivik case from 2011. ►Listen t...
Episode #131 - The challenge of running a large domestic security intelligence operation
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 16, 2022 10:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsCanada's intelligence agency CSIS has a national presence across the country. That it where the investigations happen and the intel is collected. What it is like to run such a shop? Borealis talks to former senior CSIS IO Dan Faughnan. Dan Faughnan served for over 30 years with the Canadian ...
Episode #130 - Should Canada bring back ISIS fighters for prosecution here?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 09, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsSome 40,000 ISIS terrorists joined the group in the mid-2010s from over 100 nations, including Canada. Many are still alive, some languishing in prisons or camps, including women and children. There are those lobbying for their return to their homelands: is this wise? Borealis has a conversat...
Episode #129 - Why 'follow the money' applies to terrorism too
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 02, 2022 11:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhile acts of terrorism are not all expensive ventures, some terrorist groups do manage large financial empires (ISIS is a good example). Just how important is this and how do we detect/stop these money flows? Borealis talks with one of Canada's leading money laundering/terrorist financing gur...
Quick Hits | Who wants to work in national security?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - March 02, 2022 01:00 - 7 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsBorealis has a conversation with Jennifer Benmenashe in Montreal on why she wants to gain a position on national security with the Canadian government. About the guest Jennifer Benmenashe: After completing her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto in History, Political Science and Reli...
Episode #128 - Are incels really a threat to national security?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 23, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe most recent Canadian national threat assessment names incels as one of the most serious menaces to public safety. Are they really? Borealis chats once again with the world's premiere authority on these people, the Incel Project founder Naama Kates. Naama Kates is an investigative journali...
Quick Hits | Terrorism: Canadian Style Eh!
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 20, 2022 19:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThe events in Canada over the last few weeks have made international headlines and even spawned similar actions abroad (France, NZ, the Netherlands). What is it all about? Borealis weighs in on language, intelligence and a little discussed troubling event in Western Canada that could be actual...
Episode #127 - What was it like to work as a spy in Canada?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 16, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMovies about spies are a dime a dozen - think James Bond. But what is working in intelligence really like? Borealis is joined by Andrew Kirsch, author of a new book "I was never here" Andrew Kirsch served as an intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for jus...
Episode #126 - Is it time to revisit the mental illness/terrorism nexus?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 09, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsMany people probably believe that anyone who plans a terrorist attack in which their own death is assured (i.e. a suicide bomb) is mentally suspect. And yet research has shown that most terrorists are as 'normal' as you or me. But are they? Borealis is joined by Norwegian practitioner Atle Me...
Episode #125 - What should Canada do with Saudi Arabia?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 02, 2022 11:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsThree years ago a Saudi 'Tiger Team' tried to assassinate a high-ranking former intel official now living in Canada, Dr Saad Al Jabri. When that failed, the Saudis sued the official, alleging massive fraud. A similar case in the US has just been dismissed as groundless: what should Canada do n...
Episode #124 - Policing a capital city during a major demonstration
Canadian Intelligence Eh - February 01, 2022 22:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhen you are the chief of police of a major city or, more narrowly a national capital, things get complicated. Not only are there everyday issues (traffic, petty crime, etc.) but also national security ones and there are often multiple police jurisdictions at play. As Ottawa is still dealing w...
Quick Hits | Now there's a person on a mission
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 27, 2022 21:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsAn interview with Christine Veer, entrepreneur & investigator. She shares a little on her background and why she’s passionate about making a difference in the world of national security, especially counter-terrorism. You can also learn more about her through her Linkedin profile at www.linkedin....
Episode #123 - Canada-China relations in the post 'two Michaels' era
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 26, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhen China seized the 'two Michaels' (Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig) in December 2018 it was clearly a retaliation for Canada's arrest, at the behest of the US, of the CFO of Huawei. Canadians were incensed at this violation of law and blamed China for it. A new book on this affair, entit...
Episode #122 - Just how bad are terrorist inmates?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 19, 2022 11:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsFor many citizens the macabre fascination with terrorism ends when trials are held and the bad guys are sent to jail. But is that the end of the threat? Borealis talks with former UK prison governor Ian Acheson on what happens after the barred doors are closed. Ian Acheson spent a quarter cent...
Episode #121 - A life as a US Special Agent
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 12, 2022 11:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsFor some of us a career in intelligence/law enforcement came about almost randomly (or completely randomly in my case!). For others it was a chance to follow in the footsteps of someone admired. Borealis talks to Eric Caron, a 25-year veteran US Special Agent about his career fighting bad guys...
Episode #120 - Killing to prevent terrorism from occurring
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 05, 2022 11:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWhen we talk about counter terrorism we mean all kinds of things, ranging from 'preventing' people from going down the road to potential violence to those who actually want to kill. What is at stake when we have to kill to prevent an act from occurring. Borealis has a chat with ex-Australian s...
Quick Hits | ISIS terrorists should be tried and punished over there, not over here
Canadian Intelligence Eh - January 02, 2022 20:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsA curious phenomenon has arisen of late: Westerners advocating that Canada and other nations bring back ISIS terrorists. Such an act would necessitate expensive trials, the difficult gathering of evidence and the almost impossible procurement of witnesses. Borealis looks at why these people are ...
Episode #119 - Could plastic recycling fund terrorism?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 29, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsA lot of us feel good when we put the recycling bin out on garbage day, confident we are helping the environment. But did you know that organised crime is a big part of this industry? Could terrorist groups get involved too? Borealis talks with Virginia Comolli, author of a new paper "Plastic...
Quick Hits | Now I've seen it all: Sharks as 'terrorists'!
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 27, 2021 01:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsShark attacks are terrifying; on that I think we all agree. So are sharks therefore 'terrorists'? If a Michigan state attorney can charge a 15-year old school shooter who 'terrified' his classmates with terrorism where does this all end? Borealis looks at the worrisome recent tendency to attac...
Episode #118 - A fictional Canadian terrorism plot by a leading Canadian writer
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 22, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsTerrorism is no laughing matter but on the other hand it has been said it helps to laugh at what frightens you. There are lots of spy and intrigue novels, but what is it like to make them look and sound real if the author has no background in national security? Borealis talks to Terry Fallis, ...
Episode #117: Veteran CSIS investigator Dan Stanton
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 15, 2021 11:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn the aftermath of 9/11 all the attention seemed to migrate to counter terrorism. That was a big change in the intelligence world where countering foreign spies had been the #1 task for decades. How has this shift affected the way intelligence services operate? Borealis has a discussion with ...
Quick Hits | How reliable is Saudi Arabia as a counter terrorism partner?
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 13, 2021 11:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratings15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi. A Saudi Air Force pilot who had joined AQ killed 3 US servicemen in Florida in December 2019. The Saudi Crown Prince orders the assassination of those he does not like. Borealis asks the question: is Saudi Arabia a desirable partner for the West when it co...
Episode #116: Mayor Brad West on the role of municipalities in national security
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 08, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsWe see public safety and national security as largely federal or national responsibilities. And yet most of us are more connected with local officials - mayors and councilors. What role do they play in this? Borealis talks with Port Coquitlam (BC) Mayor Brad West about Chinese interference an...
Quick Hits | Way too many things are being called terrorism today
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 07, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsIn the wake of another mass school shooting in the US - this time in a city near Detroit - a 15-year old teen has been charged, among other things, with 'terrorism'. The rationale? He 'terrorised' the student population. Is this a good move? Borealis looks at the ever-expanding use of terror...
Quick Hits | Those that can become practitioners, those that don't...
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 02, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsQuick Hits #180 - Why is that some academics dislike practitioners? There are some who think practitioners have nothing to offer and should actually be ignored? Borealis looks at the problem from the perspective of a (former) intelligence practitioner. ► Read Carleton criminology department ...
Episode #115: Former NSA Mark Ericson - The importance of alliances in intelligence sharing
Canadian Intelligence Eh - December 01, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsCanada is part of what is called the '5 eyes' intelligence sharing club (Australia, New Zealand, UK and US are other four members). How important is this? How is Canada viewed in this arrangement? Borealis talks with NSA veteran linguist Mark Ericson on these matters. Mark Ericson was a Japa...
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