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Gwynne Dyer

Gwynne Dyer is a United Kingdom-based independent journalist who writes a column for The Hill Times.

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the latest report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a 'survival guide.' It’s not even that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the latest report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a 'survival guide.' It’s not even that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 20, 2023
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Russian President Vladimir Putin with charges of war crimes on March 17, 2023. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Presidential office of Russia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 20, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 20, 2023
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on Russian President Vladimir Putin with charges of war crimes on March 17, 2023. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Presidential office of Russia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 15, 2023
Cyclone Freddy started in the usual place, off northwestern Australia. It followed the usual path across the Indian Ocean to East Africa. It was the biggest cyclone ever to hit Madagascar and the Mozambique coast, but that’s not the big deal. Records were made to be broken. Image courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 15, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 15, 2023
Cyclone Freddy started in the usual place, off northwestern Australia. It followed the usual path across the Indian Ocean to East Africa. It was the biggest cyclone ever to hit Madagascar and the Mozambique coast, but that’s not the big deal. Records were made to be broken. Image courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
Xi Jinping
Not one of the 3,000 delegates voted against Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent National People’s Congress, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
Xi Jinping
Not one of the 3,000 delegates voted against Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent National People’s Congress, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2023
Supporters of Ukraine gathered at the Flora Footbridge in Ottawa on Feb. 20, calling for an end to the Russian invasion. The war has forced European countries to look elsewhere for energy that has been supplied by Russia, including to Canada. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2023
Supporters of Ukraine gathered at the Flora Footbridge in Ottawa on Feb. 20, calling for an end to the Russian invasion. The war has forced European countries to look elsewhere for energy that has been supplied by Russia, including to Canada. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 6, 2023
The report by former senior civil servant Sue Gray, left, could take perhaps 25 per cent of the credit for bringing Boris Johnson down, but no more, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 6, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 6, 2023
The report by former senior civil servant Sue Gray, left, could take perhaps 25 per cent of the credit for bringing Boris Johnson down, but no more, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist partners are helping him subordinate court decisions to government veto. In return, he will let them quickly expand the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories and crush any Arab protests ruthlessly, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist partners are helping him subordinate court decisions to government veto. In return, he will let them quickly expand the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories and crush any Arab protests ruthlessly, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 27, 2023
The Spiez lab is one of five in the world certified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to identify developments in chemistry, biology, and enabling technologies that have implications for the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 27, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 27, 2023
The Spiez lab is one of five in the world certified by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to identify developments in chemistry, biology, and enabling technologies that have implications for the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 23, 2023
Nigeria is choosing between two traditional presidential candidates Bola Ahmed Tinubu, left, and Atiku Abubakar, while Peter Obi is the dark-horse, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 23, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 23, 2023
Nigeria is choosing between two traditional presidential candidates Bola Ahmed Tinubu, left, and Atiku Abubakar, while Peter Obi is the dark-horse, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 22, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, is seen as ‘soft’ on Russia by many observers because of his frequent contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the goal of permanently crippling Russia is neither legitimate nor wise, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 22, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 22, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, is seen as ‘soft’ on Russia by many observers because of his frequent contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the goal of permanently crippling Russia is neither legitimate nor wise, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government favours the industry with amnesties, low-interest rates, and the like because construction produces a quick hit of economic activity that helps him through the next election or other crisis, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government favours the industry with amnesties, low-interest rates, and the like because construction produces a quick hit of economic activity that helps him through the next election or other crisis, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2023
Gwynne Dyer prediction No. 1: Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, a wily and treacherous politician, will not go to jail. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2023
Gwynne Dyer prediction No. 1: Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu, a wily and treacherous politician, will not go to jail. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping already has too much on his plate: a huge but rapidly declining population; an economy that has sunk into stagnation and is unlikely to resurface; and the horrible example of how the invasion of Ukraine worked out for the Russians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping already has too much on his plate: a huge but rapidly declining population; an economy that has sunk into stagnation and is unlikely to resurface; and the horrible example of how the invasion of Ukraine worked out for the Russians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 30, 2023
Retired army general Petr Pavel, left, beat populist Andrej Babis in the Jan. 28 Czech Republic election. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 30, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 30, 2023
Retired army general Petr Pavel, left, beat populist Andrej Babis in the Jan. 28 Czech Republic election. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2023
U.S. Soldiers move an M1 Abrams tank to the firing line to test fire its weapons during operations in Kuwait in May 2021. The United States is talking of about sending 30 M1s, and along other country donations there aren't many coming to Ukraine, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2023
U.S. Soldiers move an M1 Abrams tank to the firing line to test fire its weapons during operations in Kuwait in May 2021. The United States is talking of about sending 30 M1s, and along other country donations there aren't many coming to Ukraine, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 23, 2023
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s soon to be ex-prime minister, has created her own ‘happy juncture,’ writes Gwynne Dyer. Her real strength was a calm and empathetic approach to every problem she dealt with. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 23, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 23, 2023
Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s soon to be ex-prime minister, has created her own ‘happy juncture,’ writes Gwynne Dyer. Her real strength was a calm and empathetic approach to every problem she dealt with. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2023
China's more belligerent style under Xi Jinping, left, accounts for the speed at which a counter-balancing alliance took shape in the region, writes Gwynne Dyer, but the equal and opposite reaction to this enterprise was the 2022 announcement of a ‘no limits’ partnership by Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2023
China's more belligerent style under Xi Jinping, left, accounts for the speed at which a counter-balancing alliance took shape in the region, writes Gwynne Dyer, but the equal and opposite reaction to this enterprise was the 2022 announcement of a ‘no limits’ partnership by Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 11, 2023
Both Brazil's and the United States' former presidents, Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump, are both fantasists, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 11, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 11, 2023
Both Brazil's and the United States' former presidents, Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump, are both fantasists, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
Prince Harry
Prince Harry, pictured in 2013, took millions from his publishers, and they wanted their money's worth, writes Gwynne Dyer. They needed shocking material, and the contact Harry signed obliged him to produce it Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
Prince Harry
Prince Harry, pictured in 2013, took millions from his publishers, and they wanted their money's worth, writes Gwynne Dyer. They needed shocking material, and the contact Harry signed obliged him to produce it Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2023
The revelations by fly-by-night startup Make Sunsets that its weather balloons presumably released sulfur particles into the sky in an effort to offset the warming effects of carbon dioxide were pure provocation without a scintilla of science, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2023
The revelations by fly-by-night startup Make Sunsets that its weather balloons presumably released sulfur particles into the sky in an effort to offset the warming effects of carbon dioxide were pure provocation without a scintilla of science, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 3, 2023
If the 'energy offensive' is the worst thing Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime can do to Ukraine's civilian population, they haven't got much to worry about, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 3, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 3, 2023
If the 'energy offensive' is the worst thing Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime can do to Ukraine's civilian population, they haven't got much to worry about, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 2, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu is on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, and the evidence against him is strong. The bribery charge alone could get him 10 years in jail. But now he is saved from all that, because his new government was sworn in. Serving prime ministers don’t go to jail. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 2, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 2, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu is on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust, and the evidence against him is strong. The bribery charge alone could get him 10 years in jail. But now he is saved from all that, because his new government was sworn in. Serving prime ministers don’t go to jail. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was Mr. Clean, thought to be so rich that he wouldn’t need to steal, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was Mr. Clean, thought to be so rich that he wouldn’t need to steal, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 19, 2022
It’s the high-value political targets who are most at risk from this new technology, writes Gwynne Dyer. They are already swathed in layers of security that isolate them from the public they are supposed to represent and serve. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 19, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 19, 2022
It’s the high-value political targets who are most at risk from this new technology, writes Gwynne Dyer. They are already swathed in layers of security that isolate them from the public they are supposed to represent and serve. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 15, 2022
During a Dec. 13 press conference, Jill Hruby, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Administrator, said in achieving ignition, researchers have 'opened a new chapter in NNSA’s science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program.' Photograph courtesy of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 15, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 15, 2022
During a Dec. 13 press conference, Jill Hruby, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Administrator, said in achieving ignition, researchers have 'opened a new chapter in NNSA’s science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program.' Photograph courtesy of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 12, 2022
Ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillo was never a credible occupant of the office, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 12, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 12, 2022
Ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillo was never a credible occupant of the office, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 7, 2022
Absolute power of the sort held by China's Xi Jinping and Iran's Ali Khamenei is always a bit of a con game: no one man can compel the obedience of millions of others by sheer physical force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 7, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 7, 2022
Absolute power of the sort held by China's Xi Jinping and Iran's Ali Khamenei is always a bit of a con game: no one man can compel the obedience of millions of others by sheer physical force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 5, 2022
U.S. Gen. Mark Milley has noted that the approach of winter could provide 'a window' for a political solution in the war, writes Gwynne Dyer, as pushing Russia out of Ukraine completely would be 'a very difficult task.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 5, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 5, 2022
U.S. Gen. Mark Milley has noted that the approach of winter could provide 'a window' for a political solution in the war, writes Gwynne Dyer, as pushing Russia out of Ukraine completely would be 'a very difficult task.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2022
To avoid potential political disaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping has to eat humble pie and import several billion doses of highly effective mRNA vaccines, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2022
To avoid potential political disaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping has to eat humble pie and import several billion doses of highly effective mRNA vaccines, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 28, 2022
Once a prisoner, 75-year-old Anwar Ibrahim is now Malyasia’s new prime minister. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 28, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 28, 2022
Once a prisoner, 75-year-old Anwar Ibrahim is now Malyasia’s new prime minister. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 24, 2022
L'Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to 1,000 years ago. Palaeohistorians at Groningen University solved the exact date of the first European settlement in the New World:1021 AD. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Dylan Kereluk
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 24, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 24, 2022
L'Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to 1,000 years ago. Palaeohistorians at Groningen University solved the exact date of the first European settlement in the New World:1021 AD. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Dylan Kereluk
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2022
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the United Nations' General Assembly’s on Sept. 23, 2022. At COP27 last week, he addressed Pakistan's catastrophic floods, saying the country 'became a victim of something with which we had nothing to do.' UN photograph by Cia Pak
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2022
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the United Nations' General Assembly’s on Sept. 23, 2022. At COP27 last week, he addressed Pakistan's catastrophic floods, saying the country 'became a victim of something with which we had nothing to do.' UN photograph by Cia Pak
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 17, 2022
The recent article about falling sperm counts in the journal Human Reproduction Update offers hope from an unexpected source. The rate of decline has been speeding up since 1973, and is now more than 2.6 per cent per year, writes Gwynne Dyer. Pexels/Rebecca Zaal
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 17, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 17, 2022
The recent article about falling sperm counts in the journal Human Reproduction Update offers hope from an unexpected source. The rate of decline has been speeding up since 1973, and is now more than 2.6 per cent per year, writes Gwynne Dyer. Pexels/Rebecca Zaal
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 14, 2022
The NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group conducts an exercise in the Camp Ādaži training area in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, on Sept. 1, 2019. There may soon be a significant further Ukrainian advance in the far north of the line, building on the success of the September offensive, writes Gwynne Dyer. DND photograph by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 14, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 14, 2022
The NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group conducts an exercise in the Camp Ādaži training area in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, on Sept. 1, 2019. There may soon be a significant further Ukrainian advance in the far north of the line, building on the success of the September offensive, writes Gwynne Dyer. DND photograph by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2022
It’s not clear that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his allies have taken on board the fact that the old ultra-high growth rate is never coming back, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photography by Aykut Unlupinar courtesy of G20 Turkey
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2022
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2022