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DryCleanerCast a podcast about Espionage, Terrorism & GeoPolitics
On today's podcast, Liam Duffy from the Counter Extremism Project. In this episode, we discuss Liam's report on Western Foreign Fighters and the Yazidi Genocide. You can read Liam's report here: https://www.counterextremism.com/press/cep-report-launch-western-foreign-fighters-and-yazidi-genocide And you can read more of his writing here: https://unherd.com/author/liam-duffy/ Music on this podcast is provided by Andrew R. Bird (Andy Bird) You can check out his work here: https://soundcloud.com/andrewbirduk For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com/ Secrets and Spies is part of the Spy Podcast Network. Check out our other excellent spy-related podcasts here: https://www.spypodcasts.com/ You can support Secrets and Spies in a few ways: * Subscribe to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg * Become a “Friend of the podcast” on Patreon for £3 www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies * You can buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996?asc=u Connect with us on social media TWITTER twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/secretsandspies Check out our short spy film “THE DRY CLEANER” which is now available to buy on Apple TV & Amazon Prime. Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/j_KFTJenrz4
This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes the return of writer and counter-extremist Liam Duffy (@LiamSD12). On this episode they will discuss Liam's latest report for the Counter Extremism project on ‘Western Foreign Fighters and the Yazidi Genocide'. 0:00 Start 0:40 About Liam Duffy 1:55 The Counter Extremism Project 7:36 Shamima Begum & returning Jihadi fighters to the UK 12:33 Reports of Shamima Begum's alleged crimes 16:20 Is Shamima Begum under duress? 19:20 Who are the Yazidis? What is happening to them? 23:19 Support for military intervention? 27:09 Creating ‘victims' out of UK Jihadists 28:57 Female members of ISIS 31:30 Religion as a main motivating factor for Yazidi oppression 35:39 The line between free expression and banning extremist groups? 39:47 Islamic ‘blasphemy' versus free expression in Europe and cartoons 44:08 Odious Islamic interest groups in the media. 49:05 How can we support the Yazidi cause? Video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8aywa7Y5NVY Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube & Spotify. Western Foreign Fighters and the Yazidi Genocide Report: https://www.counterextremism.com/press/cep-launches-report-highlighting-role-western-foreign-fighters-yazidi-genocide Read Liam Duffy in Unherd: https://unherd.com/author/liam-duffy/ Read Liam Duffy in The Spectator: https://www.spectator.co.uk/writer/liam-duffy Yazda: https://www.yazda.org/
This episode focuses on religion and ideology. Often we're taught to avoid two topics: religion and politics. However, can we discuss religion and ideology, at the right time and place, with civility and respect? In this episode, terrorism specialist Phil Gurski discusses this sensitive topic of religion with tact and diplomacy. As Phil Gurski says, most people, religious or not, are kind and helpful. A very small percentage go down the "dark path" to inflict heavenly "wrath" on unbelievers, to the point of engaging in terrorism. Religion often has moderates and sometimes extremists. Conservative and liberals. People who view their sacred writings metaphorically or literally. Groups and individuals who try to spread their religion as much as possible, others who don't. We live in a world of multiple religions and beliefs. Somehow, some way, we have to get along . . . Join us at Multi-Hazards as we explore religion, how it affects society, and how we all can work together. Also, be sure to check out the Study Guide for the program! Click on the top left where it says "Pdf" above the date! https://multi-hazards.libsyn.com/can-religion-sometimes-be-a-hazard-interview-with-phil-gurski Phil Gurski's Bio 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, specialising in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation. From 1983 to 2001 he was employed as a senior multilingual analyst at Communications Security Establishment (CSE – Canada’s signals intelligence agency), specialising in the Middle East. He also served as senior special advisor in the National Security Directorate at Public Safety Canada from 2013, focusing on community outreach and training on radicalisation to violence, until his retirement from the civil service in May 2015, and as consultant for the Ontario Provincial Police’s Anti-Terrorism Section (PATS) from May to October 2015. He was the Director of Security and Intelligence at the SecDev Group from June 2018 to July 2019. Mr. Gurski has presented on violent Islamist-inspired and other forms of terrorism and radicalisation across Canada and around the world. He is the author of “The Threat from Within: Recognizing Al Qaeda-inspired Radicalization and Terrorism in the West” (Rowman and Littlefield 2015) “Western Foreign Fighters: the threat to homeland and international security” (Rowman and Littlefield 2017), "The Lesser Jihads: taking the Islamist fight to the world" (Rowman and Littlefield 2017), "An End to the ‘War on Terrorism’" and When Religion Kills: how extremist justify violence through faith (Lynne Rienner 2019). Mr. Gurski regularly blogs and podcasts on terrorism ("An Intelligent Look at Terrorism" – available on his website: www.borealisthreatandrisk.com) and tweets on the subject at the Twitter handle @borealissaves. He is an associate fellow at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT) in the Netherlands, a digital fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies at Concordia University, a member of the board at the National Capital Branch of the CIC (Canadian International Council) and an affiliate of the Canadian network for research on Terrorism Security and Society (TSAS). Mr. Gurski is a regular commentator on terrorism and radicalisation for a wide variety of Canadian and international media. He is fluently trilingual in English, French and Spanish.
Phil Gurski‘s Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016) is his second recent monograph on terrorism, and another useful resource for practitioners and non-specialists alike. Written in an approachable, grounded style, Western Foreign Fighters is both topical and novel; its comparative analysis of volunteers’ participation in non-sanctioned conflicts both jihadist and secular is especially notable. Gurski’s measured, thoughtful analysis is a credit to the Canadian intelligence community (wherein he spent his entire career) and I look forward to his further publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Phil Gurski‘s Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016) is his second recent monograph on terrorism, and another useful resource for practitioners and non-specialists alike. Written in an approachable, grounded style, Western Foreign Fighters is both topical and novel; its comparative analysis of volunteers’ participation in non-sanctioned conflicts both jihadist and secular is especially notable. Gurski’s measured, thoughtful analysis is a credit to the Canadian intelligence community (wherein he spent his entire career) and I look forward to his further publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Phil Gurski‘s Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016) is his second recent monograph on terrorism, and another useful resource for practitioners and non-specialists alike. Written in an approachable, grounded style, Western Foreign Fighters is both topical and novel; its comparative analysis of volunteers’ participation in non-sanctioned conflicts both jihadist and secular is especially notable. Gurski’s measured, thoughtful analysis is a credit to the Canadian intelligence community (wherein he spent his entire career) and I look forward to his further publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Phil Gurski‘s Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016) is his second recent monograph on terrorism, and another useful resource for practitioners and non-specialists alike. Written in an approachable, grounded style, Western Foreign Fighters is both topical and novel; its comparative analysis of volunteers’ participation in non-sanctioned conflicts both jihadist and secular is especially notable. Gurski’s measured, thoughtful analysis is a credit to the Canadian intelligence community (wherein he spent his entire career) and I look forward to his further publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Phil Gurski‘s Western Foreign Fighters: The Threat to Homeland and International Security (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016) is his second recent monograph on terrorism, and another useful resource for practitioners and non-specialists alike. Written in an approachable, grounded style, Western Foreign Fighters is both topical and novel; its comparative analysis of volunteers’ participation in non-sanctioned conflicts both jihadist and secular is especially notable. Gurski’s measured, thoughtful analysis is a credit to the Canadian intelligence community (wherein he spent his entire career) and I look forward to his further publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Product DescriptionA number of recent terrorist attacks were committed by young men and women who had radicalized, went to train with IS in the Middle East, then returned to their home country to commit acts of violence. In this text, Phil Gurski examines why some people decide to abandon their homeland to join terrorist groups, and whether they pose a significant threat to their societies if they survive and return. The focus is on Canadians and other Westerners who see violent Jihad as divine obligation, with the intention to challenge the view that foreign fighters are all brainwashed. The book first looks at state motivation for resorting to conflict and the nature of war, including Jihad. It then discusses why Westerners volunteered to join the military in past wars to offer points of comparison before focusing on why some are now going to Iraq and Syria to fight along groups such as Islamic State. This includes a thorough discussion of the increasing participation of women and the debates among extremists on whether they can engage in warfare. Lastly, the threat posed by radicalized fighters when they return home after either training or waging war abroad is examined in detail along with what is done to prevent and counter it. Written in an accessible manner by a reputed expert on terrorism and radicalization, the text will appeal to anyone seeking to understand why people join terrorist groups and the threats they represent to their homeland.About the AuthorPhil Gurski served for more than 30 years as an analyst in the Canadian intelligence community. In 2001 he joined CSIS where he was a strategic analyst, specializing in homegrown Al Qaeda-inspired terrorism and radicalization to violence. In 2013 he moved to Public Safety Canada as a Senior Strategic Advisor on Canada's Countering Violent Extremism policy.