Thursday, August 21, 2025

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Thursday, August 21, 2025 | Latest Paper

Gwynne Dyer

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

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
Donald Trump
It will take a massive campaign of perpetual flattery for the old NATO countries to keep U.S. President Donald Trump, far right, on side while simultaneously keeping Ukraine out of Russia’s hands, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
Donald Trump
It will take a massive campaign of perpetual flattery for the old NATO countries to keep U.S. President Donald Trump, far right, on side while simultaneously keeping Ukraine out of Russia’s hands, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 14, 2025
We are probably in the final phase of the artificial intelligence investment frenzy right now, writes Gwynne Dyer. Unsplash photograph by Igor Omilaev
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 14, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 14, 2025
We are probably in the final phase of the artificial intelligence investment frenzy right now, writes Gwynne Dyer. Unsplash photograph by Igor Omilaev
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 11, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump at the G20 Summit in Japan in June 2019. With no leverage in Moscow, Trump's recent deadline for a Russian ceasefire in Ukraine passed unmentioned, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 11, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 11, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump at the G20 Summit in Japan in June 2019. With no leverage in Moscow, Trump's recent deadline for a Russian ceasefire in Ukraine passed unmentioned, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in power because he’s now a war leader and the courts can’t hold an inquiry into his behaviour until the war is over, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still in power because he’s now a war leader and the courts can’t hold an inquiry into his behaviour until the war is over, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 5, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not only are major powers resorting to war more often, but they are doing so without even trying to justify it under the UN Charter rules for the use of force: Russia in Ukraine, Israel in Gaza, the United States over Iran.  The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia and courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 5, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 5, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not only are major powers resorting to war more often, but they are doing so without even trying to justify it under the UN Charter rules for the use of force: Russia in Ukraine, Israel in Gaza, the United States over Iran.  The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia and courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 1, 2025
Lower birth rates do bring with them problems like a higher dependency ratio, but managing this kind of 'problem' is what governments are there for, writes Gwynne Dyer. Unsplash photograph by Lingchor
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 1, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 1, 2025
Lower birth rates do bring with them problems like a higher dependency ratio, but managing this kind of 'problem' is what governments are there for, writes Gwynne Dyer. Unsplash photograph by Lingchor
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2025
All the back-and-forth diplomacy in Gaza over the past six months was just for show, and the only audience that mattered was U.S. President Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2025
All the back-and-forth diplomacy in Gaza over the past six months was just for show, and the only audience that mattered was U.S. President Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 23, 2025
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping will never rule out using force to ‘recover’ Taiwan, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 23, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 23, 2025
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping will never rule out using force to ‘recover’ Taiwan, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pictured on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in the Oval Office. The arrival of Trump 2.0 has been a shock to both the global trading system and the alliance structures that had prevailed since the 1950s, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 21, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pictured on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in the Oval Office. The arrival of Trump 2.0 has been a shock to both the global trading system and the alliance structures that had prevailed since the 1950s, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House photograph by Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 17, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelynskyy. For the first time, Ukraine will be getting weapons actually ordered by the U.S. president, though what Donald Trump is willing to send remains unclear. Photograph courtesy of Ukraine Office of the President
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 17, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 17, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelynskyy. For the first time, Ukraine will be getting weapons actually ordered by the U.S. president, though what Donald Trump is willing to send remains unclear. Photograph courtesy of Ukraine Office of the President
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 14, 2025
Solar panels
Volume production and technical innovations have brought the price of solar panels down so low that China is exporting them in huge quantities even to developing countries, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Unsplash
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 14, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 14, 2025
Solar panels
Volume production and technical innovations have brought the price of solar panels down so low that China is exporting them in huge quantities even to developing countries, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Unsplash
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 10, 2025
Most American political analysts have dismissed the electoral prospects of Elon Musk’s new political party, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 10, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 10, 2025
Most American political analysts have dismissed the electoral prospects of Elon Musk’s new political party, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 7, 2025
The Dalai Lama, pictured in April 2012 during a visit to Ottawa, turned 90 on July 6. China views his death as a golden opportunity to ‘nationalize’ Tibetan Buddhism by giving the state the power to choose his successor, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 7, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 7, 2025
The Dalai Lama, pictured in April 2012 during a visit to Ottawa, turned 90 on July 6. China views his death as a golden opportunity to ‘nationalize’ Tibetan Buddhism by giving the state the power to choose his successor, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 3, 2025
The key fact in any discussion about climate refugees is that the tropical countries—like the South Pacific island of Tuvalu—will be hit sooner and harder than those closer to the poles, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 3, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 3, 2025
The key fact in any discussion about climate refugees is that the tropical countries—like the South Pacific island of Tuvalu—will be hit sooner and harder than those closer to the poles, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2025
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left, is facing calls for her resignation after a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 30, 2025
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left, is facing calls for her resignation after a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 26, 2025
It took U.S. President Donald Trump a long time to realize that he had been played by the Israeli prime minister, but it won’t last because he cannot bear the idea that he was outsmarted, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph courtesy of Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 26, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 26, 2025
It took U.S. President Donald Trump a long time to realize that he had been played by the Israeli prime minister, but it won’t last because he cannot bear the idea that he was outsmarted, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph courtesy of Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 23, 2025
Donald Trump
Why did Iran start enriching uranium past the 3.5 per cent limit that it accepted in the 2015 deal? Because U.S. President Donald Trump tore up that deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 23, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 23, 2025
Donald Trump
Why did Iran start enriching uranium past the 3.5 per cent limit that it accepted in the 2015 deal? Because U.S. President Donald Trump tore up that deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 19, 2025
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 22, 2017. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs photograph by Haim Zach 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 19, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 19, 2025
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 22, 2017. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs photograph by Haim Zach 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 16, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Iran is on the brink of getting nuclear weapons half a dozen times in the past 20 years, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Loey Felipe
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 16, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 16, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Iran is on the brink of getting nuclear weapons half a dozen times in the past 20 years, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Loey Felipe
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 12, 2025
We cannot rebuild healthy oceans unless that bottom trawling stopped in the safe zones where fish populations should be able to recover, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of David Dodge/Green Energy Futures/Creative Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 12, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 12, 2025
We cannot rebuild healthy oceans unless that bottom trawling stopped in the safe zones where fish populations should be able to recover, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of David Dodge/Green Energy Futures/Creative Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 9, 2025
It’s unlikely the United States ends up in a de facto alliance with Russia, but it’s possible, given U.S. President Donald Trump’s bizarre but undeniably very close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 9, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 9, 2025
It’s unlikely the United States ends up in a de facto alliance with Russia, but it’s possible, given U.S. President Donald Trump’s bizarre but undeniably very close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 5, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently pointed out to his colleagues, the problem with starving people is that the country’s allies cannot tolerate ‘images of mass famine,’ writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy of Loey Felipe
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 5, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 5, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
As Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently pointed out to his colleagues, the problem with starving people is that the country’s allies cannot tolerate ‘images of mass famine,’ writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy of Loey Felipe
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 3, 2025
The inability to hold the warming down means more and bigger forest fires, floods, droughts, cyclones, and killer heatwaves, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 3, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | June 3, 2025
The inability to hold the warming down means more and bigger forest fires, floods, droughts, cyclones, and killer heatwaves, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 28, 2025
Quite suddenly, under President Donald Trump, the United States has become just another great power where foreigners watch what they say, try to minimize contacts with official bodies, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 28, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 28, 2025
Quite suddenly, under President Donald Trump, the United States has become just another great power where foreigners watch what they say, try to minimize contacts with official bodies, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 27, 2025
Donald Trump
The whole show is designed to exploit U.S. President Donald Trump’s fascination with the British monarchy, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Andrea Hanks
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 27, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 27, 2025
Donald Trump
The whole show is designed to exploit U.S. President Donald Trump’s fascination with the British monarchy, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Andrea Hanks
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 21, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is the most articulate exponent of the dream to “relocate” Palestinians, and he sees the war in Gaza as a heaven-sent opportunity to make it real, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 21, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 21, 2025
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is the most articulate exponent of the dream to “relocate” Palestinians, and he sees the war in Gaza as a heaven-sent opportunity to make it real, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 20, 2025
Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, will probably insist once again that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ‘no cards,’ and must submit, but that wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 20, 2025
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 20, 2025
Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, will probably insist once again that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ‘no cards,’ and must submit, but that wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 31, 2023
AI pioneer Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, warns that 'If somebody builds a too-powerful AI, under present conditions, I expect that every single member of the human species and all biological life on Earth dies shortly thereafter,' writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 31, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 31, 2023
AI pioneer Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, warns that 'If somebody builds a too-powerful AI, under present conditions, I expect that every single member of the human species and all biological life on Earth dies shortly thereafter,' writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 25, 2023
Not only did Russian President Vladimir Putin launch his invasion of Ukraine ignorant of the victim’s ability and willingness to resist—he expected three days to crush the Ukrainian resistance and then a victory parade in Kyiv—but from the start he saw them in purely stereotypical terms, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 25, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 25, 2023
Not only did Russian President Vladimir Putin launch his invasion of Ukraine ignorant of the victim’s ability and willingness to resist—he expected three days to crush the Ukrainian resistance and then a victory parade in Kyiv—but from the start he saw them in purely stereotypical terms, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 24, 2023
While U.S. President Joe Biden, seen here, supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, he will do nothing that startles Russian President Vladimir Putin into a nuclear over-reaction, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 24, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 24, 2023
While U.S. President Joe Biden, seen here, supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, he will do nothing that startles Russian President Vladimir Putin into a nuclear over-reaction, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 18, 2023
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has committed to increasing Canada's immigration numbers as a way to boost the economy as the birth rate slows. The great benefit of this is to keep the ratio of younger people in the workforce to dependent older people high enough to afford a state that takes care of all its people, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 18, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 18, 2023
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has committed to increasing Canada's immigration numbers as a way to boost the economy as the birth rate slows. The great benefit of this is to keep the ratio of younger people in the workforce to dependent older people high enough to afford a state that takes care of all its people, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 15, 2023
Bashar al-Assad, the murderous Syrian dictator whose membership even the Arab League suspended 12 years ago, is off to Riyadh this week to celebrate his re-admission to the organization. He will pay no price for his many crimes against humanity: the name of the game now is not retribution but ‘rehabilitation,' writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 15, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 15, 2023
Bashar al-Assad, the murderous Syrian dictator whose membership even the Arab League suspended 12 years ago, is off to Riyadh this week to celebrate his re-admission to the organization. He will pay no price for his many crimes against humanity: the name of the game now is not retribution but ‘rehabilitation,' writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 10, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, has been in power for two decades. Imagine what the United States would be like if Donald Trump, right, had been in power for 20 years, and that’s what Turkey looks like today, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph by Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 10, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 10, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, has been in power for two decades. Imagine what the United States would be like if Donald Trump, right, had been in power for 20 years, and that’s what Turkey looks like today, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph by Shealah Craighead
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 8, 2023
A man opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on May 6, 2023, killing eight people and wounding at least seven others. The gunman was killed by an Allen Police Department officer, who happened to be at the mall on an unrelated call, according to media reports. There have been 202 mass shootings across the United States so far this year. Screen capture image courtesy of CNN
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 8, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 8, 2023
A man opened fire at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on May 6, 2023, killing eight people and wounding at least seven others. The gunman was killed by an Allen Police Department officer, who happened to be at the mall on an unrelated call, according to media reports. There have been 202 mass shootings across the United States so far this year. Screen capture image courtesy of CNN
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 3, 2023
The Indian Ocean coastline of Kenya and Somalia, pictured by NASA, Dec. 13. 2018. The universally agreed target is ‘never more than 2.0°C higher average global temperature,' and for practical purposes we have agreed that this would be caused by 450 parts per million of ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ in the atmosphere. Image courtesy of NASA
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 3, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 3, 2023
The Indian Ocean coastline of Kenya and Somalia, pictured by NASA, Dec. 13. 2018. The universally agreed target is ‘never more than 2.0°C higher average global temperature,' and for practical purposes we have agreed that this would be caused by 450 parts per million of ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ in the atmosphere. Image courtesy of NASA
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 1, 2023
Yingluck Shinawatra, pictured in 2012, became prime minister of Thailand in 2011, but was removed from office and replaced by General Chan-ocha in 2014. She is now in exile, but the Shinawatra family is looking to lead the country for a third time, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 1, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | May 1, 2023
Yingluck Shinawatra, pictured in 2012, became prime minister of Thailand in 2011, but was removed from office and replaced by General Chan-ocha in 2014. She is now in exile, but the Shinawatra family is looking to lead the country for a third time, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on Flickr
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 27, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t like democracy, and has been very hostile when border countries have democratic revolutions. But the idea that he has embarked on some crusade to crush democracy—indeed, that his ambitions extend beyond the former borders of the old Soviet Union in any way—is simply ludicrous. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 27, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 27, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t like democracy, and has been very hostile when border countries have democratic revolutions. But the idea that he has embarked on some crusade to crush democracy—indeed, that his ambitions extend beyond the former borders of the old Soviet Union in any way—is simply ludicrous. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2023
Even in this era, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is the only person with the drive, the imagination, and the resources to build something like Starship, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph courtesy of Daniel Oberhaus (2018)
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2023
Even in this era, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is the only person with the drive, the imagination, and the resources to build something like Starship, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph courtesy of Daniel Oberhaus (2018)
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2023
Within 30 to 50 years, at least half the current agricultural land on the planet will need to be ‘rewilded’ in order to restore the world’s principal carbon sink, and to preserve the biodiversity on which the entire ecosystem depends, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pexels.com
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2023
Within 30 to 50 years, at least half the current agricultural land on the planet will need to be ‘rewilded’ in order to restore the world’s principal carbon sink, and to preserve the biodiversity on which the entire ecosystem depends, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pexels.com
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 17, 2023
Former military dictator Omar al-Bashir was in power for 30 years in Sudan, waging constant wars against minority groups and handing huge chunks of the economy over to military interests while civilian living-standards stagnated, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph courtesy of Paul Kagame
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 17, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 17, 2023
Former military dictator Omar al-Bashir was in power for 30 years in Sudan, waging constant wars against minority groups and handing huge chunks of the economy over to military interests while civilian living-standards stagnated, writes Gwynne Dyer. Flickr photograph courtesy of Paul Kagame
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 13, 2023
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, left, had a courtesy meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on April 5 in California. Beijing reacted by issuing a 'stern warning' to the United States, and then 'encircled' the island (its own words) with Chinese fighters, bombers, naval destroyers, and missile boats. Photographs courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 13, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 13, 2023
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, left, had a courtesy meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on April 5 in California. Beijing reacted by issuing a 'stern warning' to the United States, and then 'encircled' the island (its own words) with Chinese fighters, bombers, naval destroyers, and missile boats. Photographs courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 12, 2023
American President Joe Biden, pictured with First Lady Jill Biden, is visiting Northern Ireland from April 11-12. Many good people are striving to head off a collapse of the historic Good Friday Agreement, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 12, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 12, 2023
American President Joe Biden, pictured with First Lady Jill Biden, is visiting Northern Ireland from April 11-12. Many good people are striving to head off a collapse of the historic Good Friday Agreement, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 5, 2023
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here’s some bad news on the ‘peace’ front. Most wars do not end in ‘negotiations’. There may be a peace treaty, but it usually just ratifies what has already happened on the battlefield: the Congress of Vienna, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Dayton Accords. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 5, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 5, 2023
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Here’s some bad news on the ‘peace’ front. Most wars do not end in ‘negotiations’. There may be a peace treaty, but it usually just ratifies what has already happened on the battlefield: the Congress of Vienna, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Dayton Accords. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 3, 2023
Pakistan's High Commissioner to Canada Zaheer Janjua, seen speaking with The Hill Times on Sept. 1, 2022. It is not clear whether the current political crisis in Pakistan will end with yet another military takeover, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 3, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 3, 2023
Pakistan's High Commissioner to Canada Zaheer Janjua, seen speaking with The Hill Times on Sept. 1, 2022. It is not clear whether the current political crisis in Pakistan will end with yet another military takeover, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 30, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a man of the right, and two-thirds of Israeli voters say they are right-wing, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 30, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 30, 2023
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a man of the right, and two-thirds of Israeli voters say they are right-wing, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 27, 2023
The asteroid 2023 DZ2, pictured on March 21, 2023. It flew by our planet at 27,000 kilometres per hour, closer to us than it was to the moon and was less than one-hundredth of the diameter of the gigantic asteroid that took down the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 27, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 27, 2023
The asteroid 2023 DZ2, pictured on March 21, 2023. It flew by our planet at 27,000 kilometres per hour, closer to us than it was to the moon and was less than one-hundredth of the diameter of the gigantic asteroid that took down the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the latest report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a 'survival guide.' It’s not even that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2023
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the latest report of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change a 'survival guide.' It’s not even that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia