Terrorism Watch

Less than a year before Alexandre Bissonnette walked into a Quebec City mosque and took six lives in cold blood, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) stopped monitoring right-wing extremism. As pointed out in a  recent  Toronto Star  story , an annual  Security Intelligence Review Committee (a CSIS watchdog group) report  states that CSIS ceased investigating right-wing extremism as they determined it wasn’t a “national security threat.” Instead, the national security agency decided the far right was best addressed by local policing. CSIS ended its investigation of right-wing extremism in March 2016, according to the report. It described activities of right-wing extremists as close to "lawful protest, advocacy, and dissent” and did not meet “the threshold of a CSIS investigation.” This turn of events doesn’t come as a shock to Ryan Scrivens, a scholar at Concordia University who  co-authored an exhaustive report  on the state of right-wing extr

This week, Nigerian military sources  reported  that Boko Haram fighters killed nine soldiers and wounded two others in northeast Nigeria. This comes just a week after two suicide bombers  killed 43 people , also in northeast Nigeria. A video released this week by  Vox  raises the alarm that Islamist militant groups such as Boko Haram are gaining strength in Africa. Most reporting on Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Africa warn that extremism on the continent is on the rise. Alexis Okeowo’s  award-winning  book — “ A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa ” — offers a different perspective on Boko Haram and other extremist groups in Africa. Okeowo is not an academic but a staff writer at the New Yorker. We like to include one book in the  African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular  that is written by a journalist whose work goes deeper than the average journalistic piece and tells compelling stories about people and places that are

Sweden's nationalist party leader spooked the currency markets this week by calling for a referendum on exiting the European Union after September's election. But Jimmie Akesson's desire for a vote has scant backing among the public and the other established parties. Even his own Sweden Democrats are lukewarm to the idea, and in any case have no desire to give up access to Europe's internal market. While polls show outright support for the EU is just above 50 percent, the number of Swedes who actually advocate leaving is below 20 percent. Even the other party that backs a potential "Swexit" says a referendum is very far off. "There's a public majority in favor of the EU and we respect that," said Ulla Andersson, a key official for the Left Party, which has supported the Social Democratic-led government over the past four years. "If there's eventually a public majority against the EU then we'll decide on it then." Public opin

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday said acts of terror and targeted killings only strengthened the government's resolve to eradicate fanaticism and religious intolerance from society. “After the terrorist attack in the Holey Artisan Bakery in 2016, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken extensive counter and preventive measures against terrorism and violent extremism," he said. Ali was addressing the opening ceremony of the workshop on “Fostering peaceful and inclusive communities in Bangladesh: The role of religious leaders and actors" at a city hotel as the chief guest. ony of the workshop on “Fostering peaceful and inclusive communities in Bangladesh: The role of religious leaders and actors" at a city hotel as the chief guest. Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng and Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bangladesh Mia Seppo were also present. Ali said the government had u

In recent months, Australia has been struggling with a vexing issue - how to stand up for its values and deal with China's increasing influence. Australia has been moving to address the issue on various levels, from its politics to its economy and its universities. But hand-in-hand comes another question: how can this be done - and discussed - without inflaming China, its biggest economic support, and Chinese Australians? Is the "China influence" debate at risk of becoming racist? The scrutiny explained "It almost feels like a lynch mob has been sent to question each and every one of us Chinese Australians about our loyalties," Erin Chew, co-founder of lobby group Asian Australia Alliance, told the BBC. The question of whether China is exerting too much influence over Australia reached a peak last year when  Canberra announced new "foreign interference" legislation last December . Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, mentioning "dist

Ethiopian officials say scores of people have been injured, some critically, in an explosion at a rally for the new PM Abiy Ahmed. Earlier Mr Abiy had said that several people had died. Mr Abiy described it as an "unsuccessful attempt by forces who do not want to see Ethiopia united". He was whisked away immediately after the blast, thought to be from a grenade thrown amid thousands of people in Addis Ababa's Meskel Square. His Chief-of-Staff Fitsum Arega said 83 people had been injured, six critically. Mr Abiy only became prime minister after his predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn unexpectedly resigned in February. Why Ethiopia could be on the verge of a new dawn Is this the man to change Ethiopia? He is also the country's first leader from the ethnic Oromo group, which has been at the centre of nearly three years of anti-government protests that have left hundreds of people dead. Since taking office he has begun passing a series of reforms, includi