Author: Phil Gurski

Phil Gurski has studied and countered terrorism for most of his adult life, first as a Canadian intelligence official, now as an esteemed commentator. In this book he condenses his knowledge and expresses his views, without pulling punches but in a constructive way, over two decades of War on Terror. Highly informed common sense for experts and laypeople alike. -- Lorenzo Vidino, Director, Program on Extremism, George Washington University

Gurski is sketching a realistic path to end the war on terrorism. Amidst the abundance of literature on (counter)terrorism, Gurski is adding a rare but insightful piece to the debate: personal experiences of counterterrorism professionals. Reading Gurski means learning to defeat concrete threats and to accept the phenomenon of terrorism as part of civilisation. -- Michael Kowalski, Chairman of Netherlands Intelligence Studies Association

In this small book, Phil Gurski provides a concise and incisive discussion of the big issues in the “war on terrorism”. Drawing on his long service as an analyst and a sound appreciation of scholarship, he provides a highly accessible, realistic, and informative survey of the strengths and weaknesses of the diverse responses to the threat by Western states.

-- Lorne L. Dawson, distinguished professor emeritus, University of Waterloo and co-founder of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society.

Author: Phil Gurski

Christian fundamentalists. Hindu nationalists. Islamic jihadists. Buddhist militants. Jewish extremists. Members of these and other religious groups have committed horrific acts of terrorist violence in recent decades. How is this possible? How do individuals use their religious beliefs to justify such actions? How do they manipulate the language and symbols of their faith to motivate others to commit violence in the name of the divine? Phil Gurski addresses these essential questions as he explores violent extremism across a broad range of the world's major religions.

CONTENTS:

• Religion as a Springboard for Violence.
• Buddhist Extremism.
• Christian Extremism.
• Hindu Extremism.
• Islamic Extremism.
• Jewish Extremism.
• Sikh Extremism.
• When Religion Kills.

Author: Phil Gurski

A History of Terrorism in Canada from Confederation to Present

Canada may not come to mind when we talk about terrorism, and yet it has been both the site, and origin, of terrorist attacks both here and around the world throughout Canada’s history. Irish nationalism, Sikh extremism, Islamist terrorism, and other forms of violent ideologies, we've seen them all. The Peaceable Kingdom examines our history with violent extremism through the lens of the teams responsible for preventing it. A look behind the curtain of security intelligence and law enforcement, readers will learn of never-before-shared details on counter-terrorism.

A book made possible by the individuals responsible for saving the lives of Canadians and others, The Peaceable Kingdom highlights those who have dedicated their lives to counter-terrorism and making Canada, and the world, a safer place.