Sunday, February 1, 2026

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Global Affairs

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
This month’s killing in Iran is on a whole different scale in the nation’s history, and the past is no guide to the future, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screenshot courtesy of BBC News
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
This month’s killing in Iran is on a whole different scale in the nation’s history, and the past is no guide to the future, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screenshot courtesy of BBC News
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, went into last week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, full of bluster, but he ultimately back-tracked on threats to Greenland, and tariff nations that support the territory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the World Economic Forum/Ciaran McCrickard
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, went into last week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, full of bluster, but he ultimately back-tracked on threats to Greenland, and tariff nations that support the territory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the World Economic Forum/Ciaran McCrickard
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
United States President Donald Trump often changes his mind, and the number of times he has said he will use force on Greenland is far greater than the times he has said he won’t, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
United States President Donald Trump often changes his mind, and the number of times he has said he will use force on Greenland is far greater than the times he has said he won’t, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
Donald Trump
Why is U.S. President Donald Trump so obsessed with Greenland? The best guess in NATO circles is that it’s an extension of his old mania of putting his name on every hotel he owned. In this case, it gets his name in American history books, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Joyce N. Boghosia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
Donald Trump
Why is U.S. President Donald Trump so obsessed with Greenland? The best guess in NATO circles is that it’s an extension of his old mania of putting his name on every hotel he owned. In this case, it gets his name in American history books, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Joyce N. Boghosia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised too much already to do absolutely nothing about the massacre of protesters in Iran, but he should do the absolute minimum he thinks he can get away with, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised too much already to do absolutely nothing about the massacre of protesters in Iran, but he should do the absolute minimum he thinks he can get away with, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
If U.S. President Donald Trump invades Greenland then NATO, the military alliance that has played a large part in preventing a nuclear war for the past 75 years, dies, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
If U.S. President Donald Trump invades Greenland then NATO, the military alliance that has played a large part in preventing a nuclear war for the past 75 years, dies, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
President Donald Trump has insisted that the United States needs ‘Greenland from the standpoint of national security.' White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
President Donald Trump has insisted that the United States needs ‘Greenland from the standpoint of national security.' White House photograph by Molly Riley
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
Donald Trump
Without boots on the ground, U.S. President Donald Trump has limited leverage on the Venezuelan regime, which has not been seriously crippled by the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
Donald Trump
Without boots on the ground, U.S. President Donald Trump has limited leverage on the Venezuelan regime, which has not been seriously crippled by the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured on Aug. 15, 2025, at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Maybe all this time we have been looking in the wrong place for an answer to the question: why does Trump always yield to Putin? Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured on Aug. 15, 2025, at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Maybe all this time we have been looking in the wrong place for an answer to the question: why does Trump always yield to Putin? Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a second-generation Cuban-American whose parents immigrated several years before Fidel Castro’s Communist regime took power. That history has shaped his politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a second-generation Cuban-American whose parents immigrated several years before Fidel Castro’s Communist regime took power. That history has shaped his politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
A majority of early-career climate scientists now see geoengineering as necessary and inevitable, while many senior ones are still in transition, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
A majority of early-career climate scientists now see geoengineering as necessary and inevitable, while many senior ones are still in transition, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
Donald Trump
United States President Trump’s hyperactive foreign policy record is clearly driven by his obsessive pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
Donald Trump
United States President Trump’s hyperactive foreign policy record is clearly driven by his obsessive pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, President Donald Trump, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trumpworld is going to be a place in which the great powers do what they want, limited only by the strength of other great powers, while the lesser countries do what they are told, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, President Donald Trump, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trumpworld is going to be a place in which the great powers do what they want, limited only by the strength of other great powers, while the lesser countries do what they are told, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, in 2022. Netanyahu has asked Herzog to pardon him in his ongoing corruption trial. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, in 2022. Netanyahu has asked Herzog to pardon him in his ongoing corruption trial. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference after their meeting at the Arctic Warrior Event Center at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. Trump and Putin are trying to destroy the international rule of law, writes columnist Gwynne Dyer Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference after their meeting at the Arctic Warrior Event Center at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. Trump and Putin are trying to destroy the international rule of law, writes columnist Gwynne Dyer Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s job is to know if and when the morale of the Ukrainian army and the general public is starting to break, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s job is to know if and when the morale of the Ukrainian army and the general public is starting to break, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
Pro-Trump rioters occupied Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. Ahead of the protest in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump had posted it would 'be wild.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
Pro-Trump rioters occupied Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. Ahead of the protest in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump had posted it would 'be wild.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
Nothing very impressive is likely to come out of the UN climate conference despite the urgency of the situation, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy by Kiara Worth
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
Nothing very impressive is likely to come out of the UN climate conference despite the urgency of the situation, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy by Kiara Worth
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda border crossing. Killing in Sudan has been non-stop since October. It’s the worst massacre yet in a civil war that has already killed 150,000 people and made one-third of the population refugees, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United Nations by Ala Kheir
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda border crossing. Killing in Sudan has been non-stop since October. It’s the worst massacre yet in a civil war that has already killed 150,000 people and made one-third of the population refugees, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United Nations by Ala Kheir
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump can infallibly trick the public into drawing their attention away from something else that he doesn’t want them to see, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump can infallibly trick the public into drawing their attention away from something else that he doesn’t want them to see, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still wants to get the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, but this may no longer require a confrontation with Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still wants to get the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, but this may no longer require a confrontation with Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is doing everything possible to look like he is serious about overthrowing Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela by force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is doing everything possible to look like he is serious about overthrowing Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela by force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
Last month, unidentified drones forced Denmark to shut down its airports on several occasions, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
Last month, unidentified drones forced Denmark to shut down its airports on several occasions, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
In the latest example of American influence, Argentina President Javier Milei, left, has welcomed Donald Trump’s $20-billion bailout even as the American president mused about the country’s elections, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
In the latest example of American influence, Argentina President Javier Milei, left, has welcomed Donald Trump’s $20-billion bailout even as the American president mused about the country’s elections, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
The biggest players in the system supporting AI are spending vast amounts of borrowed money on a technology they don’t even fully understand, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann/Pixabay
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
The biggest players in the system supporting AI are spending vast amounts of borrowed money on a technology they don’t even fully understand, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann/Pixabay
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
Jane Goodall, pictured in 2019, died on Oct. 1 at the age of 91. She was also one of the greatest self-taught scientists in history, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Fraser University 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
Jane Goodall, pictured in 2019, died on Oct. 1 at the age of 91. She was also one of the greatest self-taught scientists in history, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Fraser University 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has a very short attention span, but he was able to bully Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into at least the opening stages of a ceasefire, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has a very short attention span, but he was able to bully Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into at least the opening stages of a ceasefire, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 13, 2023
An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tank. The IDF intends is to create a 'free-fire zone' in the northern third of the Gaza Strip where its soldiers can use maximum firepower without killing large numbers of civilians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph via Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 13, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 13, 2023
An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) tank. The IDF intends is to create a 'free-fire zone' in the northern third of the Gaza Strip where its soldiers can use maximum firepower without killing large numbers of civilians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph via Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 11, 2023
When you see Australians adapting to diversity, but still treating Aboriginal people the same old way, you realize that it’s a specific situation, not just the Australian version of a general one. If you require confirmation, just look at New Zealand, where Maori is actually one of the national languages, writes Gwynne Dyer. Pixabay photograph courtesy of RebeccaLintzPhotography
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 11, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 11, 2023
When you see Australians adapting to diversity, but still treating Aboriginal people the same old way, you realize that it’s a specific situation, not just the Australian version of a general one. If you require confirmation, just look at New Zealand, where Maori is actually one of the national languages, writes Gwynne Dyer. Pixabay photograph courtesy of RebeccaLintzPhotography
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise to rain down on the Gaza Strip is exactly what Hamas wants, the mightier the better. The whole point is to get the Israelis to send its soldiers in on the ground, because that’s when the casualties start going up steeply, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise to rain down on the Gaza Strip is exactly what Hamas wants, the mightier the better. The whole point is to get the Israelis to send its soldiers in on the ground, because that’s when the casualties start going up steeply, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 5, 2023
Then-minister of families, children, and social development Karina Gould, left, shares a toast with Israel's Ambassador to Canada Ronen Pinchas Hoffman at a celebration for Israel's 75th independence day on May 16, 2023. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 5, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 5, 2023
Then-minister of families, children, and social development Karina Gould, left, shares a toast with Israel's Ambassador to Canada Ronen Pinchas Hoffman at a celebration for Israel's 75th independence day on May 16, 2023. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2023
Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia (the actual country, not the enclave within Azerbaijan that has now been reclaimed by that country) said: 'This is a direct act of ethnic cleansing, something we had long been warning the international community about.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2023
Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia (the actual country, not the enclave within Azerbaijan that has now been reclaimed by that country) said: 'This is a direct act of ethnic cleansing, something we had long been warning the international community about.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been defending his country against Russia's invasion. Some politicians in Slovakia and Poland are running on pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian platforms in upcoming elections, but are unlikely to follow through on these promises if they gain power, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/President of Ukraine
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been defending his country against Russia's invasion. Some politicians in Slovakia and Poland are running on pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian platforms in upcoming elections, but are unlikely to follow through on these promises if they gain power, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/President of Ukraine
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 20, 2023
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc discuss Canada’s intelligence alleging India's involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader in B.C at a press conference in the House of Commons Foyer on Sept. 18. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 20, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 20, 2023
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc discuss Canada’s intelligence alleging India's involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader in B.C at a press conference in the House of Commons Foyer on Sept. 18. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 18, 2023
Guyana President Irfaan Ali and his successors must use the next 10 or 15 years of high oil income to transform the country in a sustainable way, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United States Department of State/Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 18, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 18, 2023
Guyana President Irfaan Ali and his successors must use the next 10 or 15 years of high oil income to transform the country in a sustainable way, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United States Department of State/Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 13, 2023
This artist's impression shows the planet K2-18b, its host star and an accompanying planet. Planet K2-18b is 8.6 times bigger than Earth, but it has an atmosphere containing carbon dioxide and methane, both commonly emitted by living things—and also dimethyl sulphide, a trace gas that is definitely a strong ‘biomarker’ for life. Courtesy of ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 13, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 13, 2023
This artist's impression shows the planet K2-18b, its host star and an accompanying planet. Planet K2-18b is 8.6 times bigger than Earth, but it has an atmosphere containing carbon dioxide and methane, both commonly emitted by living things—and also dimethyl sulphide, a trace gas that is definitely a strong ‘biomarker’ for life. Courtesy of ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 6, 2023
The meat industry knows its time is coming to a close, just like Big Oil knew about its own impact on climate change in the 1970s. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 6, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 6, 2023
The meat industry knows its time is coming to a close, just like Big Oil knew about its own impact on climate change in the 1970s. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay