Canadian Intelligence Eh
Episodes
375 episodes
Episode 355 - Hey China! Sanction this!
'Sanction' is one of those words that has two opposite meanings. On the one hand it means to support something; on the other it means to condemn something (or someone). In the latter case, we are usually talking about actions taken by sta...
Spies Like Us - Season 4 Episode 1: Lions, tigers and bears...FBI!
After a summer hiatus, the retired spies are back! Al, Neil and Phil shake off the dust and dive right back in to discuss national security issues amid good-natured (?) banter. From the FBI's new ?policy? on bestiality, to the final...
Episode 354 - The far right is rising in the US
In politics, right and left are relative terms. Most people may self-describe as 'centrist', but we all have issues on which we lean more right (conservative) or more left (liberal). This is all natural, but what is not - and more importa...
Episode 353 - Remember AQ? They are still out there
Dr. Sara Harmouch is the CEO of H9 Defense, a research and advisory consultancy specializing in counterterrorism, national security, geopolitical risk, threat assessment, and open-source intelligence (OSINT). She is also an Adjunct Profes...
Episode 352 - Victims of terrorism need to be heard
We have all seen terrorist incidents unfolding before our very eyes, even if it is in the form of newscasts. Take 9/11, for instance. It is hard - if not impossible - to forget the image of fully-laden passenger aircraft commandeered by A...
Episode 351 - Can the NRF unseat the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Remember the Northern Alliance? Founded in 1996, this group, led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, fought the Taliban jihadis until 2001 but seemed to disappear after Massoud was killed, two days before 9/11. Well, the group is back, sorta, and is l...
Episode 350 - National security through the lens of journalism
National security is one of those sectors that is normally shrouded in secrecy and that is frustrating to many. Spy agencies do their jobs in the shadows and don't disclose much but there is a need to know. Some of the gaps can be covered...
Episode 349 - Does countering radicalisation work, and how do we know if it does?
One of the most popular buzzwords in the post 9/11 period is 'radicalisation'. Though it has been around a long time, it has come to refer to the 'process' whereby individuals and/or groups adopt extreme ideas upon which they may plan act...
Episode 348 - Was the war in Afghanistan worth it?
I am not a military specialist but I am aware of the great Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz. Among his many famous statements were this gem: "War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is based a...
Episode 347 - Alberta's separation referendum is being targeted by both Russia and the US
Just when you think you have heard enough about foreign interference in Canada something else pops up. This time, it is not about diaspora harassment or "police stations", but whether Alberta will vote in a referendum to leave Canada. As ...
Episode 346 - China is pushing its security model around the globe
If you follow the news at all you know that China has been very aggressive over the past decade or so in trying to spread its influence internationally. Much of that is economic - think of the so-called Belt and Road Initiative - but some...
Episode 345 - China is trying to erase Tibet from the map
China is a big country - really big! It may no longer have the most people - it see...
Episode 344 - The role of women in intelligence, in fiction and IRL
James Bond. Jason Bourne. Jack Reacher. Johnny English. All men who have names starting with 'J' and all spies - at least of the fictional variety. Nary a female among them. Where are all the women in intelligence? They have played critic...
Episode 341 - The jihadi threat moves further into West Africa
Mali. Niger. Burkina Faso. Nigeria. All these Sahelian and West African states are beset by violence emanating from jihadi groups tied to Al Qaeda and Islamic State. A little further west, Togo, Benin and Senegal have also seen incidents ...
Episode 342 - Looks like the Taliban have made an enemy
Ah the Taliban, everyone's favourite antediluvian misogynist jihadis. Not only have public executions been on the rise and the complete erasure of women and girls from any real life been institutionalised, but they have lowered the countr...
Episode 341 - Iran and the Houthis and the war in the Persian Gulf
Iran really likes to sponsor Shia groups worldwide. As the world's largest Shia state, Iran sees itself as a protector of sorts, given that Shiites are far outweighed by Sunni Muslims. One of those benefactors is the Houthi group (known b...
Episode 340 - PTSD among our protectors needs to be addressed
Imagine you are a cop or a paramedic. On a daily basis, you are likely to have to deal with some very nasty stuff: severely wounded people or dead ones, and some truly evil individuals who like to inflict pain and suffering. Not surprisin...
Spies Like Us Season 3 - Special summer episode: Chinese whispers can be bad for Canada
After a successful Spies and Spirits event at the Luckhurst Distillery in Kelowna BC, the lads weigh in on the role Sir William Stephenson (a.k.a. 'Intrepid') played in the creation of the Canadian intelligence community and the 5 eyes, t...
Episode 339 - We need to take the rise in anti-Semitism more seriously
Anti-Semitic acts are not new, unfortunately. Hatred of Jews goes back millennia, culminating in the Holocaust which led to the industrialisation of mass murder of Jews. Since the Hamas terrorist attack in October 2023 and the subsequent ...
Phil's Phathomings Episode 1 - Canada needs to ensure that immigrants do not bring nefarious plans to our country
Canada, like many other nations, needs robust immigration. Our fertility rates are dropping below the 2.1 minimum to keep our population stable and immigrants can help grow our economy. The vast majority of those who seek to move here do ...
Episode 278 - Do infrequent intelligence 'failures' drain trust in our spies?
Humans are fallible: that we know. One hopes that those in specialised trades - doctors, lawyers, etc. - get more things right than wrong. If not, it is a legitimate question: should they be in those professions? What about intelligence a...
Episode 338 - Are pirates a threat to national security?
The stereotypical view of pirates is undoubtedly heavily influenced by Hollywood. These depictions do not show the very violent actions carried out by pirates. Despite international treaties that define this phenomenon it does get the att...
Episode 337 - Is nihilism much ado about nothing?
Of late there have been many attempts - some successful some not - to add more groups to lists of terrorist entities. Those behind such efforts may have good intentions, although I suspect some are just trying to get their own work recogn...
Episode 336 - Has Canada sacrificed national security on the altar of increased immigration?
As a country of immigrants by definition, most Canadians have a positive view on newcomers. I would imagine that the public believes that the proper checks are done to ensure - where possible - we are not importing threats to national sec...
Quick Hits Episode 277 - Why it is important to let police do their jobs
Ok, I get it. The media want to be first to get a story out and be definitive on what it all means. As a consequence, they tend to reach out to (self-styled) 'experts' to weigh in and provide explanations. Even if not all the facts are in...