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Gwynne Dyer

China’s COVID trap

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping’s problem is that the protests will probably recur and may well escalate because over-long mass quarantines and lockdowns are a
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

China’s COVID trap

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2022
  • Chinese President Xi Jinping’s problem is that the protests will probably recur and may well escalate because over-long mass quarantines and lockdowns are a

China’s COVID trap

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2022
  • Chinese President Xi Jinping’s problem is that the protests will probably recur and may well escalate because over-long mass quarantines and lockdowns are a
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

Will Ibrahim bring change in Malaysia at last?

  • Corruption is rampant in the country, but what distinguishes Anwar Ibrahim is his stand against ethnic and religious favouritism.
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

Will Ibrahim bring change in Malaysia at last?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 28, 2022
  • Corruption is rampant in the country, but what distinguishes Anwar Ibrahim is his stand against ethnic and religious favouritism.

Will Ibrahim bring change in Malaysia at last?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 28, 2022
  • Corruption is rampant in the country, but what distinguishes Anwar Ibrahim is his stand against ethnic and religious favouritism.
Once a prisoner, 75-year-old Anwar Ibrahim is now Malyasia’s new prime minister. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Vinland: a question of timing

  • Two centuries ago, our knowledge of the past barely reached back past classical Greece and Rome: say, 3,000 years. Now scientists are working hard
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

Vinland: a question of timing

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 24, 2022
  • Two centuries ago, our knowledge of the past barely reached back past classical Greece and Rome: say, 3,000 years. Now scientists are working hard

Vinland: a question of timing

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 24, 2022
  • Two centuries ago, our knowledge of the past barely reached back past classical Greece and Rome: say, 3,000 years. Now scientists are working hard
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

COP 27 and a glass half full

  • After the inevitable all-night negotiations at the United Nations climate conference, countries managed to agree on a new fund that will recompense poor countries
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

COP 27 and a glass half full

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2022
  • After the inevitable all-night negotiations at the United Nations climate conference, countries managed to agree on a new fund that will recompense poor countries

COP 27 and a glass half full

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2022
  • After the inevitable all-night negotiations at the United Nations climate conference, countries managed to agree on a new fund that will recompense poor countries
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

Global population is eight billion and counting

  • The UN Population Division’s forecasts make grim reading, especially if you read between the lines. We are probably way past the long-term sustainable carrying
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

Global population is eight billion and counting

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 17, 2022
  • The UN Population Division’s forecasts make grim reading, especially if you read between the lines. We are probably way past the long-term sustainable carrying

Global population is eight billion and counting

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 17, 2022
  • The UN Population Division’s forecasts make grim reading, especially if you read between the lines. We are probably way past the long-term sustainable carrying
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

Where next in Ukraine?

  • The decisive factor in shaping this war has been the relatively small number of troops engaged on either side
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

Where next in Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 14, 2022
  • The decisive factor in shaping this war has been the relatively small number of troops engaged on either side

Where next in Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 14, 2022
  • The decisive factor in shaping this war has been the relatively small number of troops engaged on either side
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

China’s old ultra-high growth rate is never coming back

  • China’s three decades of super-charged growth began in the early 1980s, and its last year of double-digit growth was 2010.
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

China’s old ultra-high growth rate is never coming back

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2022
  • China’s three decades of super-charged growth began in the early 1980s, and its last year of double-digit growth was 2010.

China’s old ultra-high growth rate is never coming back

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2022
  • China’s three decades of super-charged growth began in the early 1980s, and its last year of double-digit growth was 2010.
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

Pope barking up the wrong tree with condemnation of ‘childlike’ potentates

  • The reason war is always with us is not an endless supply of evil potentates. It is an endless supply of human beings, most
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 7, 2022
On Nov. 4, Pope Francis condemned the 'childlike' approach of a 'few potentates' to bring war. It’s Francis’s job to say things like that, and he does it with sincerity and grace, even if he is wrong, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flicker/Catholic Church in England and Wales

Pope barking up the wrong tree with condemnation of ‘childlike’ potentates

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 7, 2022
  • The reason war is always with us is not an endless supply of evil potentates. It is an endless supply of human beings, most

Pope barking up the wrong tree with condemnation of ‘childlike’ potentates

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 7, 2022
  • The reason war is always with us is not an endless supply of evil potentates. It is an endless supply of human beings, most
On Nov. 4, Pope Francis condemned the 'childlike' approach of a 'few potentates' to bring war. It’s Francis’s job to say things like that, and he does it with sincerity and grace, even if he is wrong, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flicker/Catholic Church in England and Wales

Climate, Egypt, and the Amazon

  • The best news this year has to offer on the climate front is that the Amazon, which may have been on the brink of
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2022
All of COP27's hot air is less important than the single fact that Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva narrowly won the Brazilian presidency last week, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Climate, Egypt, and the Amazon

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2022
  • The best news this year has to offer on the climate front is that the Amazon, which may have been on the brink of

Climate, Egypt, and the Amazon

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2022
  • The best news this year has to offer on the climate front is that the Amazon, which may have been on the brink of
All of COP27's hot air is less important than the single fact that Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva narrowly won the Brazilian presidency last week, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Elon Musk: the benign sociopath

  • We should care about Musk's moves because he has chosen to use his wealth for the benefit of mankind. Not for the benefit of
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 2, 2022
After his initial enthusiasm died down, Elon Musk realized that buying Twitter was a mistake, for a $44-billion punt on an unprofitable social media platform is a risky move even for the world’s richest man, writes Gwynne Dyer. Daniel Oberhaus photograph courtesy of Flickr

Elon Musk: the benign sociopath

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 2, 2022
  • We should care about Musk's moves because he has chosen to use his wealth for the benefit of mankind. Not for the benefit of

Elon Musk: the benign sociopath

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 2, 2022
  • We should care about Musk's moves because he has chosen to use his wealth for the benefit of mankind. Not for the benefit of
After his initial enthusiasm died down, Elon Musk realized that buying Twitter was a mistake, for a $44-billion punt on an unprofitable social media platform is a risky move even for the world’s richest man, writes Gwynne Dyer. Daniel Oberhaus photograph courtesy of Flickr

Yet another election in Israel

  • LONDON, U.K.—Israeli voters are indefatigable. The election on Nov. 1 will be the fifth in just three-and-a-half years, and yet the turnout is still
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 26, 2022
All five of Israel's recent elections have really been about the same question: should Benjamin Netanyahu go to jail, or should he be prime minister? The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Yet another election in Israel

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 26, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Israeli voters are indefatigable. The election on Nov. 1 will be the fifth in just three-and-a-half years, and yet the turnout is still

Yet another election in Israel

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 26, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Israeli voters are indefatigable. The election on Nov. 1 will be the fifth in just three-and-a-half years, and yet the turnout is still
All five of Israel's recent elections have really been about the same question: should Benjamin Netanyahu go to jail, or should he be prime minister? The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

All the options are bad in Iran

  • LONDON, U.K.—“Death to [fill in the blank]!” has been the slogan of choice chanted by Iranian protesters since the glory days of the Islamic
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2022
Protesters gather in Melbourne, Australia, for a rally in solidarity with the Iranian protests, on Sept. 29. The most popular chant of the young men and women who are now going to the streets all over Iran is 'Women! Life! Freedom!' writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph by Matt Hrkac

All the options are bad in Iran

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Death to [fill in the blank]!” has been the slogan of choice chanted by Iranian protesters since the glory days of the Islamic

All the options are bad in Iran

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Death to [fill in the blank]!” has been the slogan of choice chanted by Iranian protesters since the glory days of the Islamic
Protesters gather in Melbourne, Australia, for a rally in solidarity with the Iranian protests, on Sept. 29. The most popular chant of the young men and women who are now going to the streets all over Iran is 'Women! Life! Freedom!' writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph by Matt Hrkac

Tigray, Ethiopia, and other African wars

  • LONDON, U.K.—When writing about the Tigray-Ethiopia struggle or any other war in Africa, the first paragraph should always point out that 85 per cent
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 19, 2022
The rebel province of Tigray, despite having only five million of Ethiopia’s 120 million people, has waged a three-year struggle against the federal prime minister, Abiy Ahmed. Tigray is going under, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Tigray, Ethiopia, and other African wars

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 19, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—When writing about the Tigray-Ethiopia struggle or any other war in Africa, the first paragraph should always point out that 85 per cent

Tigray, Ethiopia, and other African wars

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 19, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—When writing about the Tigray-Ethiopia struggle or any other war in Africa, the first paragraph should always point out that 85 per cent
The rebel province of Tigray, despite having only five million of Ethiopia’s 120 million people, has waged a three-year struggle against the federal prime minister, Abiy Ahmed. Tigray is going under, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

U.K. clown car

  • LONDON, U.K.—Italy is getting nervous. The United Kingdom’s Conservative Party (a.k.a. the Tories) has now been led by four different prime ministers in only
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 17, 2022
The latest Tory prime minister, Liz Truss, is likely to be overthrown by her party’s own rebellious Members of Parliament by the end of this month, writes Gwynne Dyer. No. 10 Downing Street photograph courtesy of Simon Dawson

U.K. clown car

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Italy is getting nervous. The United Kingdom’s Conservative Party (a.k.a. the Tories) has now been led by four different prime ministers in only

U.K. clown car

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Italy is getting nervous. The United Kingdom’s Conservative Party (a.k.a. the Tories) has now been led by four different prime ministers in only
The latest Tory prime minister, Liz Truss, is likely to be overthrown by her party’s own rebellious Members of Parliament by the end of this month, writes Gwynne Dyer. No. 10 Downing Street photograph courtesy of Simon Dawson

Ukraine: the focus shifts

  • What makes the war ‘unwinnable’ in Russian eyes (and most other peoples’ as well) is the perception created by a series of spectacular Ukrainian
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 12, 2022
Behind the bluster, most of the people who matter in Russia will be considering their options if Vladimir Putin loses power. The real focus of the crisis is moving to Moscow, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Ukraine: the focus shifts

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 12, 2022
  • What makes the war ‘unwinnable’ in Russian eyes (and most other peoples’ as well) is the perception created by a series of spectacular Ukrainian

Ukraine: the focus shifts

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 12, 2022
  • What makes the war ‘unwinnable’ in Russian eyes (and most other peoples’ as well) is the perception created by a series of spectacular Ukrainian
Behind the bluster, most of the people who matter in Russia will be considering their options if Vladimir Putin loses power. The real focus of the crisis is moving to Moscow, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Populism: three steps forward, two-and-a-half steps back

  • LONDON, U.K.—The reports about Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva’s impending comeback as Brazilian president verged on the ecstatic in the week before the Oct.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 6, 2022
Brazil's incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro was only five points behind his rival in the first round of the presidential election on Oct. 2. In Brazilian politics, the candidates in the lead often fall behind in the second round. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Populism: three steps forward, two-and-a-half steps back

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 6, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—The reports about Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva’s impending comeback as Brazilian president verged on the ecstatic in the week before the Oct.

Populism: three steps forward, two-and-a-half steps back

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 6, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—The reports about Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva’s impending comeback as Brazilian president verged on the ecstatic in the week before the Oct.
Brazil's incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro was only five points behind his rival in the first round of the presidential election on Oct. 2. In Brazilian politics, the candidates in the lead often fall behind in the second round. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Climate change clashing with human speed limit

  • LONDON, U.K.—I’m writing this on a plane to Greenland—well, actually, on a plane to Denmark, because there’s no way to get to Greenland by
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2022
What holds glaciers back is the friction between the ice and the bottom of the ocean. Warmer ocean currents are eating away at the base of the glaciers and effectively detaching them from the bottom, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

Climate change clashing with human speed limit

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—I’m writing this on a plane to Greenland—well, actually, on a plane to Denmark, because there’s no way to get to Greenland by

Climate change clashing with human speed limit

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—I’m writing this on a plane to Greenland—well, actually, on a plane to Denmark, because there’s no way to get to Greenland by
What holds glaciers back is the friction between the ice and the bottom of the ocean. Warmer ocean currents are eating away at the base of the glaciers and effectively detaching them from the bottom, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

Britannia unhinged

  • LONDON, U.K.—“The Queen’s final act of service to the nation was to selflessly buy the economy one last fortnight,” said one tweet when all
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2022
The Queen’s death and funeral took up the first 12 days of Liz Truss’s tenure, so the new prime minister’s work of destruction could not get properly underway until late last week, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Britannia unhinged

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“The Queen’s final act of service to the nation was to selflessly buy the economy one last fortnight,” said one tweet when all

Britannia unhinged

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 28, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“The Queen’s final act of service to the nation was to selflessly buy the economy one last fortnight,” said one tweet when all
The Queen’s death and funeral took up the first 12 days of Liz Truss’s tenure, so the new prime minister’s work of destruction could not get properly underway until late last week, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Is Putin bluffing about nukes?

  • The notion that 300,000 reservists and technical specialists of various sorts can be turned into a useful fighting force in a couple of weeks,
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 26, 2022
The Russian generals might support one nuke, especially if President Vladimir Putin could persuade them that it was a reasonably safe diplomatic ploy aimed at forcing the Ukrainians or even NATO to the negotiating table, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Is Putin bluffing about nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 26, 2022
  • The notion that 300,000 reservists and technical specialists of various sorts can be turned into a useful fighting force in a couple of weeks,

Is Putin bluffing about nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 26, 2022
  • The notion that 300,000 reservists and technical specialists of various sorts can be turned into a useful fighting force in a couple of weeks,
The Russian generals might support one nuke, especially if President Vladimir Putin could persuade them that it was a reasonably safe diplomatic ploy aimed at forcing the Ukrainians or even NATO to the negotiating table, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Planetary defence

  • LONDON, U.K.—On Sept. 26, about eleven million kilometres from Earth, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will make the first attempt to
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2022
Illustration of the DART spacecraft approaching the Dimorphos and Didymos asteroids. The biggest asteroid to hit the planet, Chicxulub on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula 66 million years ago, was 10 kilometres in diameter. It caused the last great extinction: the world-wide firestorms and the five- or 10-year ‘asteroid winter’ that followed (due to the ash blocking out the sun) killed off all the non-avian dinosaurs and let the mammals take over, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Planetary defence

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Sept. 26, about eleven million kilometres from Earth, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will make the first attempt to

Planetary defence

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Sept. 26, about eleven million kilometres from Earth, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will make the first attempt to
Illustration of the DART spacecraft approaching the Dimorphos and Didymos asteroids. The biggest asteroid to hit the planet, Chicxulub on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula 66 million years ago, was 10 kilometres in diameter. It caused the last great extinction: the world-wide firestorms and the five- or 10-year ‘asteroid winter’ that followed (due to the ash blocking out the sun) killed off all the non-avian dinosaurs and let the mammals take over, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

The hard right nears power in Italy

  • LONDON, U.K.—There’s an election in Italy on Sept. 25, almost exactly 100 years after Benito Mussolini’s “blackshirts” marched on Rome and brought the first
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 21, 2022
Giorgia Meloni, the hard-right populist politician who is likely to win the Italian election, leads the Brothers of Italy, which has some 'nostalgic' neo-fascists in its ranks, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The hard right nears power in Italy

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—There’s an election in Italy on Sept. 25, almost exactly 100 years after Benito Mussolini’s “blackshirts” marched on Rome and brought the first

The hard right nears power in Italy

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—There’s an election in Italy on Sept. 25, almost exactly 100 years after Benito Mussolini’s “blackshirts” marched on Rome and brought the first
Giorgia Meloni, the hard-right populist politician who is likely to win the Italian election, leads the Brothers of Italy, which has some 'nostalgic' neo-fascists in its ranks, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Turning to long-termism

  • LONDON, U.K.—Which would be worse: a global nuclear war with all buttons pressed, or real, self-conscious artificial intelligence that goes rogue? You know, the
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 19, 2022
'Civilization only began a few thousand years ago. If we do not destroy mankind, these few thousand years may be only a tiny fraction of the whole of civilized human history,' wrote Oxford University philosopher Derek Parfit.

Turning to long-termism

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 19, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Which would be worse: a global nuclear war with all buttons pressed, or real, self-conscious artificial intelligence that goes rogue? You know, the

Turning to long-termism

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 19, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Which would be worse: a global nuclear war with all buttons pressed, or real, self-conscious artificial intelligence that goes rogue? You know, the
'Civilization only began a few thousand years ago. If we do not destroy mankind, these few thousand years may be only a tiny fraction of the whole of civilized human history,' wrote Oxford University philosopher Derek Parfit.

Ukraine: the risk of a ceasefire dwindles

  • The flow of weapons from the West will continue, and Ukraine will be far readier to launch a sustained and decisive offensive in the
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 14, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin's offensive was stumbling to a halt on all fronts, but by then Moscow controlled about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory. Moreover, Russia controlled almost all of Ukraine’s coast, leaving it only Odesa and a few satellite ports in the far west. Image courtesy of Donkey Hotey

Ukraine: the risk of a ceasefire dwindles

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 14, 2022
  • The flow of weapons from the West will continue, and Ukraine will be far readier to launch a sustained and decisive offensive in the

Ukraine: the risk of a ceasefire dwindles

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 14, 2022
  • The flow of weapons from the West will continue, and Ukraine will be far readier to launch a sustained and decisive offensive in the
Russian President Vladimir Putin's offensive was stumbling to a halt on all fronts, but by then Moscow controlled about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory. Moreover, Russia controlled almost all of Ukraine’s coast, leaving it only Odesa and a few satellite ports in the far west. Image courtesy of Donkey Hotey

In defence of whistleblowers (and Donald Trump)

  • LONDON, U.K.—I never thought I’d be writing a column in defence of Donald Trump, but a journalist has to go where the evidence leads.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 8, 2022
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is not your traditional whistle-blower, driven by high motives and a need to speak truth to power. He’s more of a pack-rat, whose motives for stealing government documents may be obscure even to himself, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Flickr

In defence of whistleblowers (and Donald Trump)

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 8, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—I never thought I’d be writing a column in defence of Donald Trump, but a journalist has to go where the evidence leads.

In defence of whistleblowers (and Donald Trump)

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 8, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—I never thought I’d be writing a column in defence of Donald Trump, but a journalist has to go where the evidence leads.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is not your traditional whistle-blower, driven by high motives and a need to speak truth to power. He’s more of a pack-rat, whose motives for stealing government documents may be obscure even to himself, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Flickr

Russia, an empire undergoing decolonization

  • The Communists claimed to be anti-imperialist, and even abstained from using Russian nationalist tropes it was easy for Russians to think the Soviet Union
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 5, 2022
Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Aug. 30, was hated by most older Russians because the Soviet Union, the country they were born into, broke apart on his watch. His current successor, Vladimir Putin, pictured, is now waging a war to put it back together writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Russia, an empire undergoing decolonization

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 5, 2022
  • The Communists claimed to be anti-imperialist, and even abstained from using Russian nationalist tropes it was easy for Russians to think the Soviet Union

Russia, an empire undergoing decolonization

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 5, 2022
  • The Communists claimed to be anti-imperialist, and even abstained from using Russian nationalist tropes it was easy for Russians to think the Soviet Union
Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Aug. 30, was hated by most older Russians because the Soviet Union, the country they were born into, broke apart on his watch. His current successor, Vladimir Putin, pictured, is now waging a war to put it back together writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The United Kingdom: the once and future king

  • LONDON, U.K.—As a child, outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said he wanted to be “king of the world.” He ended up in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 1, 2022
Boris Johnson has scarcely bothered to turn up for work since he was forced to resign three months ago and had to stay on as a caretaker prime minister, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Dawson/No. 10 Downing Street

The United Kingdom: the once and future king

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 1, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—As a child, outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said he wanted to be “king of the world.” He ended up in

The United Kingdom: the once and future king

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 1, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—As a child, outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said he wanted to be “king of the world.” He ended up in
Boris Johnson has scarcely bothered to turn up for work since he was forced to resign three months ago and had to stay on as a caretaker prime minister, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Dawson/No. 10 Downing Street

Might Russia use its tactical nuclear weapons?

  • LONDON, U.K.—On Aug. 25, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country’s combat aircraft have been upgraded by the Russians to carry nuclear weapons,
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 29, 2022
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country’s combat aircraft have been upgraded by the Russians to carry nuclear weapons, writes Gwynne Dyer. Wikimedia Commons photograph by Serge Serebro

Might Russia use its tactical nuclear weapons?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 29, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Aug. 25, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country’s combat aircraft have been upgraded by the Russians to carry nuclear weapons,

Might Russia use its tactical nuclear weapons?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 29, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Aug. 25, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country’s combat aircraft have been upgraded by the Russians to carry nuclear weapons,
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that the country’s combat aircraft have been upgraded by the Russians to carry nuclear weapons, writes Gwynne Dyer. Wikimedia Commons photograph by Serge Serebro
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What shall we do with the climate refugees?

  • LONDON, U.K.—You wait ages for the bus, and then three come along at once. Books are a bit like that, too, although in this
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 25, 2022
An estimated 5,000 people protested in Ottawa on Sept. 27, 2019, calling for more aggressive measures to mitigate climate change. The UN estimates that 1.5 billion people may be forced to move in the next 30 years due to climate change, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

What shall we do with the climate refugees?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 25, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—You wait ages for the bus, and then three come along at once. Books are a bit like that, too, although in this

What shall we do with the climate refugees?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 25, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—You wait ages for the bus, and then three come along at once. Books are a bit like that, too, although in this
An estimated 5,000 people protested in Ottawa on Sept. 27, 2019, calling for more aggressive measures to mitigate climate change. The UN estimates that 1.5 billion people may be forced to move in the next 30 years due to climate change, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Killing Darya Dugina: own goal for Ukraine?

  • Neither father nor daughter was an important target in terms of their influence on Russian policy, which pretty much rules out any Russian motive
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 24, 2022
Darya Dugina, who was killed on Aug. 20 by a car bomb, was the daughter of father Alexander Dugin—sometimes called 'Putin’s Brain' by the foreign media because of his alleged influence on the Russian president. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Killing Darya Dugina: own goal for Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 24, 2022
  • Neither father nor daughter was an important target in terms of their influence on Russian policy, which pretty much rules out any Russian motive

Killing Darya Dugina: own goal for Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 24, 2022
  • Neither father nor daughter was an important target in terms of their influence on Russian policy, which pretty much rules out any Russian motive
Darya Dugina, who was killed on Aug. 20 by a car bomb, was the daughter of father Alexander Dugin—sometimes called 'Putin’s Brain' by the foreign media because of his alleged influence on the Russian president. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

India at 75

  • LONDON, U.K.—On the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to turn India into a developed country within the next 25
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 18, 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured in 2015, recently promised to turn India into a developed country within the next 25 years. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

India at 75

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 18, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to turn India into a developed country within the next 25

India at 75

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 18, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—On the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to turn India into a developed country within the next 25
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured in 2015, recently promised to turn India into a developed country within the next 25 years. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Ukraine happy for Russia to take the blame on destroyed warplanes

  • LONDON, U.K.—“This obviously does not happen because of a thrown butt,” said British Defence Minister Ben Wallace. But the Russian Ministry of Defence insisted
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 15, 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. Taking responsibility for these strikes deep in Russian-controlled territory is not in Ukraine’s interest, so it’s happy for Russia to take the blame, writes Gwynne Dyer. DND photograph by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos

Ukraine happy for Russia to take the blame on destroyed warplanes

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 15, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“This obviously does not happen because of a thrown butt,” said British Defence Minister Ben Wallace. But the Russian Ministry of Defence insisted

Ukraine happy for Russia to take the blame on destroyed warplanes

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 15, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“This obviously does not happen because of a thrown butt,” said British Defence Minister Ben Wallace. But the Russian Ministry of Defence insisted
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. Taking responsibility for these strikes deep in Russian-controlled territory is not in Ukraine’s interest, so it’s happy for Russia to take the blame, writes Gwynne Dyer. DND photograph by Corporal Djalma Vuong-De Ramos

Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi’s last hurrah

  • LONDON, U.K.—Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan this week caused great, if somewhat confected, anger in Beijing, but the Chinese Communist regime was not
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 4, 2022
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's brief visit to Taiwan this week caused great anger in Beijing, but the Chinese Communist regime was not her main target, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph by Gage Skidmore

Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi’s last hurrah

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan this week caused great, if somewhat confected, anger in Beijing, but the Chinese Communist regime was not

Taiwan: Nancy Pelosi’s last hurrah

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan this week caused great, if somewhat confected, anger in Beijing, but the Chinese Communist regime was not
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's brief visit to Taiwan this week caused great anger in Beijing, but the Chinese Communist regime was not her main target, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph by Gage Skidmore

James Lovelock: Darwin’s heir

  • LONDON, U.K.—James Lovelock was a late bloomer. His first book, Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth, was published in 1979, when he
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 3, 2022
We are far off course for curing our problems, as James Lovelock (pictured in 2002) well knew, but he has given us the vital context of a self-regulating Gaian system. Without that, we wouldn’t even know where to start trying to mend the damage we have done, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

James Lovelock: Darwin’s heir

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—James Lovelock was a late bloomer. His first book, Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth, was published in 1979, when he

James Lovelock: Darwin’s heir

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—James Lovelock was a late bloomer. His first book, Gaia: a New Look at Life on Earth, was published in 1979, when he
We are far off course for curing our problems, as James Lovelock (pictured in 2002) well knew, but he has given us the vital context of a self-regulating Gaian system. Without that, we wouldn’t even know where to start trying to mend the damage we have done, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Tunisia, the last Arab democracy, goes under

  • LONDON, U.K.—Tunisia would seem to have everything going for it. Average salaries are the third-highest in all of Africa’s 50 countries, just behind Morocco
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2022
Last July, Tunisia’s usurper president, Kais Saied, dismissed the prime minister, suspended parliament, and began ruling by decree. This week, he emerged victorious in a constitutional referendum that makes all these changes permanent, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Tunisia, the last Arab democracy, goes under

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Tunisia would seem to have everything going for it. Average salaries are the third-highest in all of Africa’s 50 countries, just behind Morocco

Tunisia, the last Arab democracy, goes under

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Tunisia would seem to have everything going for it. Average salaries are the third-highest in all of Africa’s 50 countries, just behind Morocco
Last July, Tunisia’s usurper president, Kais Saied, dismissed the prime minister, suspended parliament, and began ruling by decree. This week, he emerged victorious in a constitutional referendum that makes all these changes permanent, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Monkeypox is a reminder

  • Monkeypox is very unpleasant and it spreads very fast, but it’s not a real killer: 16,000 cases in 75 countries in just a couple
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 25, 2022
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is manipulating the system in a well-meant attempt to persuade the world to build better systems for containing dangerous emergent diseases in general, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Monkeypox is a reminder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 25, 2022
  • Monkeypox is very unpleasant and it spreads very fast, but it’s not a real killer: 16,000 cases in 75 countries in just a couple

Monkeypox is a reminder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 25, 2022
  • Monkeypox is very unpleasant and it spreads very fast, but it’s not a real killer: 16,000 cases in 75 countries in just a couple
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is manipulating the system in a well-meant attempt to persuade the world to build better systems for containing dangerous emergent diseases in general, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Reopening Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor is a humanitarian issue

  • LONDON, U.K.—“Not all issues have yet been resolved, but the fact that there is movement is already good,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2022
Normally, Ukraine’s Black Sea ports export five to six million tonnes of grain per month, but most are now under Russian occupation and the biggest, Odesa, has been blockaded by the Russian navy for five months, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/dmytrok

Reopening Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor is a humanitarian issue

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Not all issues have yet been resolved, but the fact that there is movement is already good,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in

Reopening Ukraine’s Black Sea corridor is a humanitarian issue

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Not all issues have yet been resolved, but the fact that there is movement is already good,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in
Normally, Ukraine’s Black Sea ports export five to six million tonnes of grain per month, but most are now under Russian occupation and the biggest, Odesa, has been blockaded by the Russian navy for five months, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/dmytrok

Political leaders and the great multicultural experiment

  • LONDON, U.K.—Here’s an interesting fact. Only 14 per cent of people in England and Wales are Black, Asian, mixed, or other (i.e. non-white). Yet
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 13, 2022
Rishi Sunak, left, Kemi Badenoch, Nadhim Zahawi, and Suella Braverman represent four of the eight candidates vying to replace disgraced British prime minister Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party—and therefore the new prime minister, writes Gwynne Dyer. Chris McAndrew photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Political leaders and the great multicultural experiment

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 13, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Here’s an interesting fact. Only 14 per cent of people in England and Wales are Black, Asian, mixed, or other (i.e. non-white). Yet

Political leaders and the great multicultural experiment

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 13, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Here’s an interesting fact. Only 14 per cent of people in England and Wales are Black, Asian, mixed, or other (i.e. non-white). Yet
Rishi Sunak, left, Kemi Badenoch, Nadhim Zahawi, and Suella Braverman represent four of the eight candidates vying to replace disgraced British prime minister Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party—and therefore the new prime minister, writes Gwynne Dyer. Chris McAndrew photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sri Lanka’s band of brothers

  • LONDON, U.K.—“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked, in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 11, 2022
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, left, former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and their brother Basil. After 20 years with the Rajapaksa brothers in power most of the time, Sri Lanka today is bankrupt, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Sri Lanka’s band of brothers

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 11, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked, in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then

Sri Lanka’s band of brothers

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 11, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked, in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, left, former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and their brother Basil. After 20 years with the Rajapaksa brothers in power most of the time, Sri Lanka today is bankrupt, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Cuban Missile Crisis redivivus: Russian rockets in Nicaragua

  • LONDON, U.K.—It was a piece of news so obscure and implausible that I missed it when it first surfaced last month. The news was
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 4, 2022
Russia President Vladimir Putin's much-hyped hypersonic missiles are irrelevant anyway, since ‘hypersonic’ missiles are only useful if a country has good anti-missile defences, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Flickr/DonkeyHotey

Cuban Missile Crisis redivivus: Russian rockets in Nicaragua

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It was a piece of news so obscure and implausible that I missed it when it first surfaced last month. The news was

Cuban Missile Crisis redivivus: Russian rockets in Nicaragua

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It was a piece of news so obscure and implausible that I missed it when it first surfaced last month. The news was
Russia President Vladimir Putin's much-hyped hypersonic missiles are irrelevant anyway, since ‘hypersonic’ missiles are only useful if a country has good anti-missile defences, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Flickr/DonkeyHotey

Nukeless Sweden and Finland need NATO

  • LONDON, U.K.—Another 15 million people joined the NATO alliance on June 28. Finland and Sweden, formerly neutral countries but geographically near to Russia, gave
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2022
The only way Finland and Sweden can get protection from Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear blackmail is to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has three members with nuclear weapons of their own. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Nukeless Sweden and Finland need NATO

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Another 15 million people joined the NATO alliance on June 28. Finland and Sweden, formerly neutral countries but geographically near to Russia, gave

Nukeless Sweden and Finland need NATO

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Another 15 million people joined the NATO alliance on June 28. Finland and Sweden, formerly neutral countries but geographically near to Russia, gave
The only way Finland and Sweden can get protection from Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear blackmail is to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has three members with nuclear weapons of their own. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Israel: it’s all about Bibi

  • LONDON, U.K.—There was a rare moment of grace in Israeli politics on June 20, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 22, 2022
The eight-party coalition had one unifying principle: to stop ‘Bibi’ (Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister for most of the past 25 years) from coming back to power yet again. It could only work by concentrating on social issues (where there was some agreement) while preserving the status quo on ‘security,' settler violence and Palestinian rights, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Israel: it’s all about Bibi

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 22, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—There was a rare moment of grace in Israeli politics on June 20, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid

Israel: it’s all about Bibi

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 22, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—There was a rare moment of grace in Israeli politics on June 20, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
The eight-party coalition had one unifying principle: to stop ‘Bibi’ (Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister for most of the past 25 years) from coming back to power yet again. It could only work by concentrating on social issues (where there was some agreement) while preserving the status quo on ‘security,' settler violence and Palestinian rights, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

How did South Africa’s Ramaphosa get so rich?

  • Once upon a time (about four years ago), Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as South Africa’s last, best hope. Since the end of apartheid in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 20, 2022
Cyril Ramaphosa is one of the richest men in South Africa and is now under attack from all sides, getting tarred with the same corruption brush as predecessor Jacob Zuma, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flicker/Government of South Africa

How did South Africa’s Ramaphosa get so rich?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 20, 2022
  • Once upon a time (about four years ago), Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as South Africa’s last, best hope. Since the end of apartheid in

How did South Africa’s Ramaphosa get so rich?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 20, 2022
  • Once upon a time (about four years ago), Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as South Africa’s last, best hope. Since the end of apartheid in
Cyril Ramaphosa is one of the richest men in South Africa and is now under attack from all sides, getting tarred with the same corruption brush as predecessor Jacob Zuma, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flicker/Government of South Africa

The pink tide is rising in Latin America

  • LONDON, U.K.—”Corruption isn’t fought with slogans on TikTok,” complained veteran Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro. But social media can win elections, and a right-wing
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 13, 2022
Going into the first round of the presidential election last month, candidate Gustavo Petro, pictured, was well ahead of the establishment candidate, Federico Gutierrez—but the runner-up was actually Rodolfo Hernández, whose social media skills make him a real threat to Petro, writes Gwynne Dyer. Juan Manuel Herrera/Organization of American States photograph courtesy of Flickr

The pink tide is rising in Latin America

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 13, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—”Corruption isn’t fought with slogans on TikTok,” complained veteran Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro. But social media can win elections, and a right-wing

The pink tide is rising in Latin America

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 13, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—”Corruption isn’t fought with slogans on TikTok,” complained veteran Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro. But social media can win elections, and a right-wing
Going into the first round of the presidential election last month, candidate Gustavo Petro, pictured, was well ahead of the establishment candidate, Federico Gutierrez—but the runner-up was actually Rodolfo Hernández, whose social media skills make him a real threat to Petro, writes Gwynne Dyer. Juan Manuel Herrera/Organization of American States photograph courtesy of Flickr