Canadian Intelligence Eh
Everywhere you look these days terrorism and violent extremism dominate the headlines. Whether you follow what is happening in Afghanistan or Iraq, or in the West writ large, we are inundated with news of attacks by groups and individuals fighting for a 'cause'.In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counterterrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
Episodes
284 episodes
Episode 294 - What is the current state of ISIS and how worried should counter-terrorism agencies be?
In 2019 then US President Trump stated that ISIS had been 'totally defeated'. While it was true that the so-called 'Caliphate' had for all intents and purposes been destroyed, the group was anything but gone. It is still very active in Ir...
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19:49
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 5 - A buttload of review
After the Thanksgiving break, the lads are back to talk about 'eternal' peace in the Middle East thanks to Emperor Cheetoh, why are Canadian spy agencies subject to so much review and would you go to an Indian crime syndicate for communit...
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40:47
Episode 293 - Is the Trump Administration undermining those agencies tasked with keeping it safe?
Security intelligence and law enforcement agencies do very important jobs in investigating threats to our nations. As a consequence, they have to have the resources to do that, without interference for political reasons. What is happening...
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27:40
Episode 292 - What ever happened to cracking down on Chinese interference in Canada?
Remember the Hogue Inquiry? Canada went through a soul search into Chinese actions in our country, what we knew and what we ignored (i.e. decades of intelligence that was rejected or not even read) and came up with a whole bunch of recomm...
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20:48
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode - Canada's a pal to Palestine but kneecaps Kneecap
In episode 3 of season 3 the lads weigh in on the implications of the Canadian government's recognition of Palestine, why Canada kneed an Irish hip hop band in the...knee, and what has Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said now?&...
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33:59
Episode 291 - What was life like for women under the Taliban?
If it is one thing jihadi terrorists are known for it is their hatred of women. While they claim to be 'pure' Muslims who treat women in accordance with Islamic law they are in fact vile misogynists. Of these extremists there is no better examp...
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25:15
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 2 - Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
While drug-addled Al deals with a centipede from the seventh layer of hell, the boys (sober for once) delve into the rhetoric over the far left/far right in the West, why labeling organised crime groups terrorists is a 'terror-ible' idea ...
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35:12
Episode 290 - What is next for the US after the killing of Charlie Kirk?
The US is, alas, no stranger to political violence. Three presidents have been assassinated as have several public figures like Martin Luther King. The political atmosphere of hate and retribution is magnified in today's world of social m...
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20:50
Spies Like Us Season 3 Episode 1 - Queen of Canada or Empress of Idiots?
The guys are back in the virtual bar for another season! After two months of R&R they delve into the arrest of a self-appointed 'Queen of Canada/World", counselling sessions for ISIS terrorists ('couch jihadis'?) and why 'native extre...
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34:52
Episode 289 - One nation's success against Islamist extremism could serve as a model
The Philippines has long been beset by jihadi groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Front (BIFF) and the one bunch with the unintended acronym MILF - the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Of late, one does not h...
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24:11
Episode 288 - What will take for Arab states to launch another 'Arab spring'?
Almost 15 years ago the world awoke to an amazing event. A Tunisian fruit vendor had his wares seized and was insulted by a police officer, leading to his later suicide and a call for change in Tunisia. This spawned a whole bunch of analo...
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19:22
Episode 287 - When will Canada take PRC meddling in its affairs seriously?
That China has infiltrated Canadian society at so many levels is beyond doubt. "Police" stations, harassing dissidents, interfering in our elections, the list goes on and on. And, despite reports and inquiries these anti-democratic activi...
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21:58
Episode 286 - How dangerous a threat to international security is AI?
You cannot get far these days without some article and warning about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the possible extermination of humanity. How close are we to that and what can we do about it? Are there good sides to AI? I am joined by...
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32:18
Episode 285 - How US gun culture threatens international public safety
You cannot go a day, it seems, without a mass shooting in the US. Far too many deaths and injuries have been caused so much that the leading cause of death for people between one and 17 is at the end of a gun. What is worse is that this c...
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26:07
Episode 284 - Can we deal with the 'new' Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is desperately trying to change its image from an ultraconservative Middle East oil power to a modern state. Much of this change is at the hands of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) who is the darling of the internationa...
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23:47
Quick Hits Episode 271 - Recognising Palestine is not a 'reward' for terrorism
If there is one conflict I have tried to stay away from, because it is so intractable, it is Israel-Palestine. The two have been at each other's throats for decades and terrorist attacks have been carried out on each other's territory by ...
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11:04
Just how much of a national security concern is the Muslim Brotherhood?
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is one of the oldest Islamist organisations, dating back to 1928. It is conservative in its outlook and is seen by some as the inspiration for terrorist groups such as Hamas. And yet, few countries have designa...
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27:55
Episode 270 - The melting of the icecap and mass migration may also impact national security in the West
During the Cold War, Canada maintained radar stations in its north to warn against Soviet ballistic missiles coming over the pole, in an arrangement with the US called the DEW Line (distant early warning). Now with the Northwest Passage b...
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11:31
Quick Hits Episode 269 - Is climate change a 'national security' threat?
When we talk national security the same few challenges come up: terrorism, espionage, cyber attacks, sabotage, foreign interference, etc. These are 'traditional' in the sense that they are open to investigation, information gathering and,...
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10:21
Episode 282 - How a cipher clerk opened the door on Soviet spying in the West
Ah the Cold War! Those were the good old days when we knew the enemy and he knew us. Few know that the decades-long slowly simmering conflict began in Ottawa when Igor Gouzenko defected from the Soviet Embassy with a treasure trove of sec...
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23:46
Episode 281 - What does a Houthi-Al Shabaab alignment entail for regional security?
To say that the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia) is unstable is an understatement. Whether we are talking about war, famine or terrorism, the region has had its challenges for decades. Now a working relationship between Al Qaed...
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24:33
Episode 268 - Did Canada just dodge a RW bullet?
If you listen to many 'experts' the biggest threat to world safety emanates from the far right (what normal people call right-wing terrorism (RW) but the Canadian government calls IMVE - ideologically-motivated violent extremism). Recent ...
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10:22
Quick Hits Episode 267 - Was 7/7 a UK intelligence failure?
When it comes to major terrorist attacks that grab the world's attention a few rise to the top. 9/11 (of course!), the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, the Bataclan/Stade de France massacre and the Madrid metro attack in 2004 would...
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11:13
Episode 280 - A deep look at how drug gangs are abusing the homeless in Canada
When we talk about national security and public safety most people would likely go immediately to issues such as terrorism and espionage. And yet, there are many other things that pose a more immediate threat in most societies. Drug traff...
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27:23