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Gwynne Dyer

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

UN climate report and clutching at straws

  • The report’s authors admit that the 'aspirational' goal of never letting the average global temperature exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial level
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

UN climate report and clutching at straws

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
  • The report’s authors admit that the 'aspirational' goal of never letting the average global temperature exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial level

UN climate report and clutching at straws

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
  • The report’s authors admit that the 'aspirational' goal of never letting the average global temperature exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial level
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

The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant on Putin, what about Bush’s invasion of Iraq?

  • The two invasions—Russia's of Ukraine, and the United States' of Iraq—are linked.
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

The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant on Putin, what about Bush’s invasion of Iraq?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 20, 2023
  • The two invasions—Russia's of Ukraine, and the United States' of Iraq—are linked.

The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant on Putin, what about Bush’s invasion of Iraq?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 20, 2023
  • The two invasions—Russia's of Ukraine, and the United States' of Iraq—are linked.
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

Freddy and the ice: messages from the future

  • Two new things on the climate front, and both bad news. Hurricanes used to be like drive-by shootings: one pass, one hit, and then
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

Freddy and the ice: messages from the future

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 15, 2023
  • Two new things on the climate front, and both bad news. Hurricanes used to be like drive-by shootings: one pass, one hit, and then

Freddy and the ice: messages from the future

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 15, 2023
  • Two new things on the climate front, and both bad news. Hurricanes used to be like drive-by shootings: one pass, one hit, and then
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

Shifting attitudes among Chinese youth no match against state power

  • The dawning realization that genteel poverty is probably the future for most Chinese, combined with the reality of an all-powerful state that seeks to
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
Xi Jinping
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

Shifting attitudes among Chinese youth no match against state power

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
  • The dawning realization that genteel poverty is probably the future for most Chinese, combined with the reality of an all-powerful state that seeks to

Shifting attitudes among Chinese youth no match against state power

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 13, 2023
  • The dawning realization that genteel poverty is probably the future for most Chinese, combined with the reality of an all-powerful state that seeks to
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

‘General Winter’ missed the bus

  • A former Russian president's prediction that European Union citizens, deprived of the Russian gas that normally supplied about 40 per cent of their energy,
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

‘General Winter’ missed the bus

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2023
  • A former Russian president's prediction that European Union citizens, deprived of the Russian gas that normally supplied about 40 per cent of their energy,

‘General Winter’ missed the bus

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2023
  • A former Russian president's prediction that European Union citizens, deprived of the Russian gas that normally supplied about 40 per cent of their energy,
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

‘Partygate’ inquiry lead turned Labour Party hire: a dastardly plot?

  • Sue Gray’s civil service exit to take the job as Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff caused shock and horror throughout Whitehall.
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

‘Partygate’ inquiry lead turned Labour Party hire: a dastardly plot?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 6, 2023
  • Sue Gray’s civil service exit to take the job as Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff caused shock and horror throughout Whitehall.

‘Partygate’ inquiry lead turned Labour Party hire: a dastardly plot?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 6, 2023
  • Sue Gray’s civil service exit to take the job as Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff caused shock and horror throughout Whitehall.
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

Israel’s 21st-century version of pogrom

  • The current sequence of atrocities and counter-atrocities began with a big Israeli raid in the Palestinian city of Nablus last week.
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

Israel’s 21st-century version of pogrom

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2023
  • The current sequence of atrocities and counter-atrocities began with a big Israeli raid in the Palestinian city of Nablus last week.

Israel’s 21st-century version of pogrom

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2023
  • The current sequence of atrocities and counter-atrocities began with a big Israeli raid in the Palestinian city of Nablus last week.
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

Making lethal molecules

  • Nobody wants to restrict new drug research, but let's think about how to control access to certain machine-learning models, public databases, and chemical synthesis
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

Making lethal molecules

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 27, 2023
  • Nobody wants to restrict new drug research, but let's think about how to control access to certain machine-learning models, public databases, and chemical synthesis

Making lethal molecules

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 27, 2023
  • Nobody wants to restrict new drug research, but let's think about how to control access to certain machine-learning models, public databases, and chemical synthesis
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

Nigerian election key to shaping the nation’s future after years of corruption, incompetence

  • LONDON, U.K.—There is something wrong with Nigeria. It is Africa’s most populous country, with one-fifth of the continent’s entire population (200 million). It is
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

Nigerian election key to shaping the nation’s future after years of corruption, incompetence

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 23, 2023
  • LONDON, U.K.—There is something wrong with Nigeria. It is Africa’s most populous country, with one-fifth of the continent’s entire population (200 million). It is

Nigerian election key to shaping the nation’s future after years of corruption, incompetence

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 23, 2023
  • LONDON, U.K.—There is something wrong with Nigeria. It is Africa’s most populous country, with one-fifth of the continent’s entire population (200 million). It is
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

Ukraine war and international law

  • NATO’s objective in helping Ukraine should be to see the country entirely freed from Russian rule simply because that is what international law requires.
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

Ukraine war and international law

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 22, 2023
  • NATO’s objective in helping Ukraine should be to see the country entirely freed from Russian rule simply because that is what international law requires.

Ukraine war and international law

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 22, 2023
  • NATO’s objective in helping Ukraine should be to see the country entirely freed from Russian rule simply because that is what international law requires.
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

The earthquakes and the blame

  • Politicians and developers have a mutually beneficial relationship in most countries, but Turkey is special.
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

The earthquakes and the blame

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2023
  • Politicians and developers have a mutually beneficial relationship in most countries, but Turkey is special.

The earthquakes and the blame

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 13, 2023
  • Politicians and developers have a mutually beneficial relationship in most countries, but Turkey is special.
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

Predictions for Israel as it moves further right and democracy degrades

  • Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has constructed a stable all-right-wing coalition that is durable and radical because he was compelled to bring in previously
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

Predictions for Israel as it moves further right and democracy degrades

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2023
  • Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has constructed a stable all-right-wing coalition that is durable and radical because he was compelled to bring in previously

Predictions for Israel as it moves further right and democracy degrades

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2023
  • Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has constructed a stable all-right-wing coalition that is durable and radical because he was compelled to bring in previously
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

How to avoid a war with China

  • Commentators and analysts have a fatalistic belief that war between China and America is inevitable not only in the United States, but also to
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
Xi Jinping
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

How to avoid a war with China

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
  • Commentators and analysts have a fatalistic belief that war between China and America is inevitable not only in the United States, but also to

How to avoid a war with China

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 2, 2023
  • Commentators and analysts have a fatalistic belief that war between China and America is inevitable not only in the United States, but also to
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

Czech election and a bad case of cultural lag

  • Pro-NATO candidate Petr Pavel will replace the current, rather pro-Russian president in March, and the country’s loyalty to its NATO alliance is assured.
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

Czech election and a bad case of cultural lag

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 30, 2023
  • Pro-NATO candidate Petr Pavel will replace the current, rather pro-Russian president in March, and the country’s loyalty to its NATO alliance is assured.

Czech election and a bad case of cultural lag

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 30, 2023
  • Pro-NATO candidate Petr Pavel will replace the current, rather pro-Russian president in March, and the country’s loyalty to its NATO alliance is assured.
Retired army general Petr Pavel, left, beat populist Andrej Babis in the Jan. 28 Czech Republic election. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Will Western tanks bring victory in Ukraine?

  • LONDON, U.K.—On Jan. 24 they reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight. How did they know that Germany would agree to give
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

Will Western tanks bring victory in Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2023
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Jan. 24 they reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight. How did they know that Germany would agree to give

Will Western tanks bring victory in Ukraine?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2023
  • LONDON, U.K.—On Jan. 24 they reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight. How did they know that Germany would agree to give
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

On the persistence of politicians

  • Jacinda Ardern did well in her five-and-a-half years in office, which included a mass-casualty terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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

On the persistence of politicians

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 23, 2023
  • Jacinda Ardern did well in her five-and-a-half years in office, which included a mass-casualty terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the persistence of politicians

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 23, 2023
  • Jacinda Ardern did well in her five-and-a-half years in office, which included a mass-casualty terrorist attack, a volcanic eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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

Return of the alliances

  • Right now, the existing regional alliances seem to be consolidating into a single all-embracing system. Only three years ago, there was only one big
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

Return of the alliances

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2023
  • Right now, the existing regional alliances seem to be consolidating into a single all-embracing system. Only three years ago, there was only one big

Return of the alliances

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2023
  • Right now, the existing regional alliances seem to be consolidating into a single all-embracing system. Only three years ago, there was only one big
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

Two failed populist coups: compare and contrast

  • The U.S. and Brazil debacles in support of their respective former presidents were the most incompetent and half-hearted attempts to seize power illegally in
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

Two failed populist coups: compare and contrast

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 11, 2023
  • The U.S. and Brazil debacles in support of their respective former presidents were the most incompetent and half-hearted attempts to seize power illegally in

Two failed populist coups: compare and contrast

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 11, 2023
  • The U.S. and Brazil debacles in support of their respective former presidents were the most incompetent and half-hearted attempts to seize power illegally in
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

A shocking disclosure

  • In Prince Harry’s new book, Spare, he reveals how many combatants he’d killed, a rare disclosure for a member of the military.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
Prince Harry
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

A shocking disclosure

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
  • In Prince Harry’s new book, Spare, he reveals how many combatants he’d killed, a rare disclosure for a member of the military.

A shocking disclosure

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 9, 2023
  • In Prince Harry’s new book, Spare, he reveals how many combatants he’d killed, a rare disclosure for a member of the military.
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

‘Geoengineering’ scam

  • The scientists who are really investigating ‘climate engineering’ techniques unanimously condemned the rogue behaviour of a startup that pumped a few grams of sulfur
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

‘Geoengineering’ scam

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2023
  • The scientists who are really investigating ‘climate engineering’ techniques unanimously condemned the rogue behaviour of a startup that pumped a few grams of sulfur

‘Geoengineering’ scam

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2023
  • The scientists who are really investigating ‘climate engineering’ techniques unanimously condemned the rogue behaviour of a startup that pumped a few grams of sulfur
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

The next Ukrainian offensive

  • Do not be distracted by the Russian missiles and drones bombarding Ukrainian cities. They are more a temper tantrum than a strategy because the
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

The next Ukrainian offensive

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 3, 2023
  • Do not be distracted by the Russian missiles and drones bombarding Ukrainian cities. They are more a temper tantrum than a strategy because the

The next Ukrainian offensive

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 3, 2023
  • Do not be distracted by the Russian missiles and drones bombarding Ukrainian cities. They are more a temper tantrum than a strategy because the
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

Israel: fifth time lucky for Benjamin Netanyahu

  • Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu has put Israel through five elections in four years in order to come up with a coalition government that will
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

Israel: fifth time lucky for Benjamin Netanyahu

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 2, 2023
  • Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu has put Israel through five elections in four years in order to come up with a coalition government that will

Israel: fifth time lucky for Benjamin Netanyahu

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 2, 2023
  • Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu has put Israel through five elections in four years in order to come up with a coalition government that will
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

South Africa: the overstuffed couch

  • President Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as the last, best hope by the remaining uncorrupted parts of the African National Congres, which has seen its
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa
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

South Africa: the overstuffed couch

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
  • President Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as the last, best hope by the remaining uncorrupted parts of the African National Congres, which has seen its

South Africa: the overstuffed couch

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2022
  • President Cyril Ramaphosa was seen as the last, best hope by the remaining uncorrupted parts of the African National Congres, which has seen its
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

Micro-suicide drones

  • These one-person-killer suicide drones would certainly be deployed in close-quarters static situations like the trench warfare that has set in along most of the
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

Micro-suicide drones

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 19, 2022
  • These one-person-killer suicide drones would certainly be deployed in close-quarters static situations like the trench warfare that has set in along most of the

Micro-suicide drones

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 19, 2022
  • These one-person-killer suicide drones would certainly be deployed in close-quarters static situations like the trench warfare that has set in along most of the
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

Nuclear fusion: in and out

  • Nobody really doubted that fusion could eventually be made to produce useful energy one way or another, but it still needed to be demonstrated
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

Nuclear fusion: in and out

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 15, 2022
  • Nobody really doubted that fusion could eventually be made to produce useful energy one way or another, but it still needed to be demonstrated

Nuclear fusion: in and out

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 15, 2022
  • Nobody really doubted that fusion could eventually be made to produce useful energy one way or another, but it still needed to be demonstrated
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

Two failed coups and some random speculation

  • Big lies do sometimes take hold. They could do so even before the internet, as a previous generation of Germans could attest. And no
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

Two failed coups and some random speculation

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 12, 2022
  • Big lies do sometimes take hold. They could do so even before the internet, as a previous generation of Germans could attest. And no

Two failed coups and some random speculation

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 12, 2022
  • Big lies do sometimes take hold. They could do so even before the internet, as a previous generation of Germans could attest. And no
Ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillo was never a credible occupant of the office, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

China and Iran: tyrants in retreat

  • Others must help the leaders create a facade of omnipotence and invincibility, and they ultimately have a say in how to preserve it.
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

China and Iran: tyrants in retreat

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 7, 2022
  • Others must help the leaders create a facade of omnipotence and invincibility, and they ultimately have a say in how to preserve it.

China and Iran: tyrants in retreat

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 7, 2022
  • Others must help the leaders create a facade of omnipotence and invincibility, and they ultimately have a say in how to preserve it.
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
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Ukraine, the winter war

  • Despite the recent U.S. military leadership statements to the contrary, winter is the best time for war-fighting in Ukraine and Russia. It isn't the
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

Ukraine, the winter war

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 5, 2022
  • Despite the recent U.S. military leadership statements to the contrary, winter is the best time for war-fighting in Ukraine and Russia. It isn't the

Ukraine, the winter war

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 5, 2022
  • Despite the recent U.S. military leadership statements to the contrary, winter is the best time for war-fighting in Ukraine and Russia. It isn't the
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

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.