15 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 comes to CT? Mentioned articles: ►Survivors of the Pensacola terror attack speak out ►Bin Salman has blood on his hands that refuses to be washed away ►The Saudi Connection: Inside the 9/11 Case That...

We 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 and influence peddling in Canada and other issues. ► Read: 'I wanted to see that room empty': Mayor slams attendees of Chinese-funded reception Brad lives in Port Coquitlam with his wife Blaire. In...

In 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 terrorism in very unnecessary ways. Mentioned articles: ►Gurski: Why 'terrorism' shouldn't be in Canada's Criminal Code ►The hypocrisy of America’s terror debate ►Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect...

Quick 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 cuts ties with police, prisons 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...

Canada 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 Japanese language analyst and foreign affairs officer with the National Security Agency who retired in 2017 after 37 years with NSA. Raised by missionary parents in Japan, he obtained his PhD in Japanese...

Quick Hits #179 - Joining a listed terrorist entity  is illegal.  And yet hundreds of Canadians have done so and some are now home... but have not been charged.  What should we do with these cases?   See also: ►Canadian woman freed from ISIS detention camp reunites with daughter in Canada ►Second Chance: Jailed Kazakh Islamic State Widow 'Optimistic' About Future ►Listed Terrorist Entities About the host Phil Gurski: Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)....

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...

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...

Quick Hits #175 - The Matrix franchise has been around since 1999 and is a trilogy of very cool films. They are full of simulated violence in which humans are battling the machines which are using them to drain their lifeforce. Matrix Resurrections is coming out in December: what do the films tell us about terrorism and what happens when reality emulate art? ►Read mentioned article: Red-pilled: Can The Matrix Resurrections reclaim Neo from the alt-right? ►Watch video version on...

Quick Hits 174 - There are those out there who want authorities to stop calling Islamist terrorism by that name.  Alternatives include "faith-based terrorism" and "terrorists abusing religious motivations". In this Quick Hits podcast, Borealis argues why this is wrong-headed and counterproductive. ►Read mentioned article: Police may drop ‘Islamist’ term when describing terror attacks ►Watch video version: https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/why-what-we-call-terrorism-matters/ About Phil...

When it comes to stopping terrorism all information should be used, right?  It is not as simple as that.  In order to charge a potential wrongdoer the data must be in the form of evidence, not intelligence.  Borealis talks about these issues with 30-year Toronto police veteran Gavin Horner. Gavin Horner is a licenced Private Investigator for the province of Ontario.  He works primarily in the Greater Toronto Area. He retired after 32½ years with the Toronto Police Service. He retired as a...

Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig touched down on Canadian soil on Saturday after being arbitrarily detained in China for 1020 days. As Canada celebrates the return of the “two Michaels,” it’s worth asking what this hostage diplomacy saga tells us about Canada-China relations and global affairs more broadly. Listen to The Hamilton Today Podcast with Scott Thompson About Phil Gurski: Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the...

Quick Hits 173 - Why do some academics try to tell national security professionals how to do their jobs?  Is there no better way to manage this relationship?  Borealis looks at the Acorn TV series Outlier to examine how 'town and gown' should work better. About 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)....

Is it possible to be an 'ex-jihadi'?  How would we know?  What about state-run efforts at 'de-radicalisation'?  Borealis has a fascinating conversation with Jesse Morton, often described as the #1 Al Qaeda recruiter in the US  in the mid 2000s and now very much involved in undermining Islamist terrorism. Jesse Morton was once a jihadist propagandist (then known as Younes Abdullah Muhammad) who ran Revolution Muslim, a New York City-based organization active in the 2000s that connected...

Jeff Sammut was joined by president and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting and author Phil Gurski on Canada Now to talk about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 20 years later. ►Catch Jeff live weekdays from 1-3pmET on Sirius XM Canada Talks channel 167 About 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)....

Phil Gurski joins Destiny for his 4rth appearance on his livestream. They discuss Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, the latest New Zealand attack, ISIS, Incels, Canada's mass graves and the January 6th Washington riots. ►Follow Destiny on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC554eY5jNUfDq3yDOJYirOQ About 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...

Afghanistan has fallen to the Taliban and already the fingers are being pointed at whose fault it was. Several have called this an 'intelligence failure'.  Is it?  Borealis weighs in on who 'lost' Afghanistan. Read more: https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/was-afghanistan-an-intelligence-failure/ About 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...