In this inaugural episode of Broken Mirrors, Marc and Tom talk about where they want to see the series going and the long history of Canada-U.S. relations in intelligence and military matters. In the second segment, they are joined by Ian MacLeod and engage in a freewheeling discussion on changes in journalism, the effects of technology and the Snowden Affair. In the third segment, Tom looks at a risk assessment of the Snowden revelations and asks who and what have really been damaged.

People:

Host: Marc Tyrrell, Co-host: Tom Quiggan, Guest: Ian MacLeod, Guest intro: Mark Stout

Music: Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com

Producer: Tim Reilly, Intern Producer: Abby Biruk, Associate Producer: Stephanie Bak, Narrator: Dawna Moore

Scene breakdown:

00:00 Guest Intro with Mark Stout of Johns Hopkins University

00:40 Can/US Relationship and some initial housekeeping

10:58 Technology, Intelligence, and the Press

25:42 Tom’s Refelections – Snowden Damage Assessment

34:10 Post Mortem

37:15 Outro

In this podcast, Marc and Tom take a look at a rarely discussed, structural vulnerability in advanced societies: the payments and settlements system. We first put this system in the historical context of economic warfare, then look at some potential forms of attacks, followed by a discussion with Michelle Couturier about possible local defensive measures. The podcast is the third part of our series on Sixth Domain warfare.

Host: Marc Tyrrell, Co-host: Tom Quiggin, Guest: Michelle Couturier, Guest intro: George Kenney

Music: Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com

Producer: Tim Reilly, Intern Producer: Abby Biruk, Associate Producer: Stephanie Bak, Narrator: Dawna Moore

Scene breakdown:

00:00 Guest Intro with George Kenney of Electric Politics

00:42 Economic Warfare

11:27 Melting Plastic

25:38 Crisis and Resiliency

42:24 Tom’s Reflections – Sleep Tight

43:52 Post Mortem

47:34 Outro

In this podcast, Marc and Tom take a hard look at the concept, and reality, of ‘terrorism’. We start with a look at when terrorism as a tactic, makes strategic sense in historical and techno-social contexts. Moving into the operational level, we then look at how terrorist acts and narratives are woven together both by the attackers and by the defenders. This is followed with a wide ranging discussion with Mubin Shaikh, a man who knows from first hand experience how terrorist narratives – the logics that validate the use of terror tactics – operates and how to counter them.

People:

Host: Marc Tyrrell, Co-host: Tom Quiggin, Guest: Mubin Shaikh

Music: Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com

Producer: Tim Reilly, Intern Producer: Abby Biruk, Associate Producer: Stephanie Bak, Narrator: Dawna Moore

Scene breakdown:

00:00 Intro

00:32 Nothing But Fear

11:25 Thinking is Hard

17:04 Do Not Take Counsel of Your Fears

42:27 Tom’s Reflections – Strategic Ignorance

44:50 Post Mortem

46:46 Outro

This is the first of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom lay out the actual, social function of Strategic Intelligence and look at its place in the long history of divination. Strategic surprise, or intelligence failures, often are neither: a surprise or a ‘failure’, at least on the part of Intelligence Agencies. What they often are is a breakdown in communications between the players involved; a breakdown that is often facilitated by a gross misunderstanding of what Strategic Intelligence can and cannot do.

In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with Steven Strang, Director of Research and Innovation at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Steven is one of the top people in Canada when it comes to understanding how certain groups, mainly terrorists, communicate to their audiences and how this communication can, and should be interpreted by Intelligence Agencies. Steven has also trained many of the analysts working in the various Canadian agencies, and has presented world-wide.

People:

Host: Marc Tyrrell, Co-host: Tom Quiggin, Guests: Steven Strang and Isabelle Duyvesteyn

Music: Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com

Producer: Tim Reilly, Intern Producer: Abby Biruk, Associate Producer: Stephanie Bak, Narrator: Jacquie Benjamin

Scene breakdown:

00:00 Guest Intro – Isabelle Duijvesteijn of Leiden University

00:41 Set To Fail

11:41 Fighting Different Wars

47:05 Tom’s refections – Strategic Surprise

50:06 Post Mortem

52:57 Outro

This is the second of a two-part podcast set on the concept, and uses, of Strategic Intelligence. In this episode, Marc and Tom discuss how intelligence functions within democratic societies in an effort to look at how a theory of intelligence can emerge. Following up on the first part of the podcast, we look at what such a theory needs to answer before it can actually operate in a democracy.

In the second segment, we sit down for a long discussion with BGen (Ret’d) Dr James S. Cox, Vice-President, Academic Affairs with the Canadian Military Intelligence Association. After a 35 year career in the Canadian military dealing with Intelligence in a variety of settings, Jim completed a PhD looking at developing a theory of Intelligence that is truly interdisciplinary in nature. In this wide ranging discussion, Jim, Marc and Tom tease out how such a theory can be built from the ground up, pragmatic operations of intelligence.

People:

Host: Marc Tyrrell, Co-host: Tom Quiggin, Guest: BGen (Ret’d) Dr. James S. Cox

Music: Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com

Producer: Tim Reilly, Intern Producer: Abby Biruk, Associate Producer: Stephanie Bak, Announcer: Dawna Moore.

Scene Breakdown:

00:00   Intro

00:31   Talking about intelligence

13:41   Dr. Jim Cox

1:29:33 Marc – Theory vs operation

1:33:08 Tom – Social morality

1:35:17 Post Mortem

1:38:27 Outro