Sunday, February 1, 2026

Canada’s Politics and Government News Source Since 1989

Sunday, February 1, 2026 | Latest Paper

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 | February 25, 2025
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi—the daughter of the army’s founder—led a largely non-violent revolution that forced the military to share political power, but in 2021, the army took it back very violently, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 25, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 25, 2025
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi—the daughter of the army’s founder—led a largely non-violent revolution that forced the military to share political power, but in 2021, the army took it back very violently, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 19, 2025
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders mirror the to-do list of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s plan for instituting permanent right-wing rule after a Trump election victory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 19, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 19, 2025
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders mirror the to-do list of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s plan for instituting permanent right-wing rule after a Trump election victory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 18, 2025
Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is negotiating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a cut of Ukraine’s future mining income in exchange for continued American aid. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Presidential Office of Ukraine
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 18, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 18, 2025
Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is negotiating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a cut of Ukraine’s future mining income in exchange for continued American aid. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Presidential Office of Ukraine
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin. The war has reached a stalemate, so it might as well stop for a while, and that’s what is likely to happen, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin. The war has reached a stalemate, so it might as well stop for a while, and that’s what is likely to happen, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 11, 2025
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council, pictured on Jan. 25. The keystone of the international system is under attack with countries sabotaging the barriers put in place to limit the spread of war, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of United Nations/Evan Schneider
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 11, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 11, 2025
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council, pictured on Jan. 25. The keystone of the international system is under attack with countries sabotaging the barriers put in place to limit the spread of war, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of United Nations/Evan Schneider
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump knows making outrageous claims is the best way to keep the media from talking about what he’s really doing—removing all legal, constitutional, and customary restraints on the presidency, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump knows making outrageous claims is the best way to keep the media from talking about what he’s really doing—removing all legal, constitutional, and customary restraints on the presidency, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 3, 2025
Doug Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford wears a ‘Canada is not for sale’ hat at a Jan. 15 first minister's meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump poses an existential threat to the Canadian confederation, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 3, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 3, 2025
Doug Ford
Ontario Premier Doug Ford wears a ‘Canada is not for sale’ hat at a Jan. 15 first minister's meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump poses an existential threat to the Canadian confederation, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2025
Donald Trump
Most people treated Donald Trump's rambling on about seizing Greenland as a passing fantasy—until Trump had a 45-minute telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark on Saturday, Jan. 25, writes Gwynne Dyer. One senior European official said the call was 'horrendous,' and that she was shaken by his manner. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2025
Donald Trump
Most people treated Donald Trump's rambling on about seizing Greenland as a passing fantasy—until Trump had a 45-minute telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark on Saturday, Jan. 25, writes Gwynne Dyer. One senior European official said the call was 'horrendous,' and that she was shaken by his manner. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 28, 2025
Paul Kagame
Rwandan President Paul Kagame hasn’t formally declared war on the Democratic Republic of Congo, but 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan troops are already across the border, writes Gwynne Dyer. Paulo Filgueiras photograph courtesy of the United Nations
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 28, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 28, 2025
Paul Kagame
Rwandan President Paul Kagame hasn’t formally declared war on the Democratic Republic of Congo, but 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan troops are already across the border, writes Gwynne Dyer. Paulo Filgueiras photograph courtesy of the United Nations
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 21, 2025
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, has been trying to write the Palestinians out of the story for his whole political life, and U.S. President Donald Trump may go along for the ride, writes Gwynne Dyer. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs photograph by Haim Zach 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 21, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 21, 2025
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, has been trying to write the Palestinians out of the story for his whole political life, and U.S. President Donald Trump may go along for the ride, writes Gwynne Dyer. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs photograph by Haim Zach