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Gwynne Dyer

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

An Arab nadir driven by clueless hegemons

  • We are at a point where Trump’s America and Netanyahu’s Israel have established complete domination over the Middle East. 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still wants to get the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, but this may no longer require a confrontation with Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Daniel Torok

An Arab nadir driven by clueless hegemons

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
  • We are at a point where Trump’s America and Netanyahu’s Israel have established complete domination over the Middle East. 

An Arab nadir driven by clueless hegemons

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 29, 2025
  • We are at a point where Trump’s America and Netanyahu’s Israel have established complete domination over the Middle East. 
Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still wants to get the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, but this may no longer require a confrontation with Donald Trump, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Trump’s case for invading Venezuela

  • The American president must know that U.S.-bound cocaine comes mostly from Colombia and Peru, while opioids—the real drug plague—come primarily from China and Mexico.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is doing everything possible to look like he is serious about overthrowing Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela by force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump’s case for invading Venezuela

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
  • The American president must know that U.S.-bound cocaine comes mostly from Colombia and Peru, while opioids—the real drug plague—come primarily from China and Mexico.

Trump’s case for invading Venezuela

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 27, 2025
  • The American president must know that U.S.-bound cocaine comes mostly from Colombia and Peru, while opioids—the real drug plague—come primarily from China and Mexico.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, is doing everything possible to look like he is serious about overthrowing Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela by force, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Denmark versus the Russia’s shadow fleet

  • The sanctions regime makes it hard for Russia to charter ships from legitimate shipping companies. Instead, it has built a ‘shadow fleet’ of almost
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
Last month, unidentified drones forced Denmark to shut down its airports on several occasions, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Denmark versus the Russia’s shadow fleet

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
  • The sanctions regime makes it hard for Russia to charter ships from legitimate shipping companies. Instead, it has built a ‘shadow fleet’ of almost

Denmark versus the Russia’s shadow fleet

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 22, 2025
  • The sanctions regime makes it hard for Russia to charter ships from legitimate shipping companies. Instead, it has built a ‘shadow fleet’ of almost
Last month, unidentified drones forced Denmark to shut down its airports on several occasions, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

American contempt for Latin America on full display

  • U.S. President Donald Trump has interfered in both Brazilian and Argentine politics, and the U.S. Navy continues its strikes off Venezuela’s coast in a
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
In the latest example of American influence, Argentina President Javier Milei, left, has welcomed Donald Trump’s $20-billion bailout even as the American president mused about the country’s elections, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore 

American contempt for Latin America on full display

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
  • U.S. President Donald Trump has interfered in both Brazilian and Argentine politics, and the U.S. Navy continues its strikes off Venezuela’s coast in a

American contempt for Latin America on full display

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 16, 2025
  • U.S. President Donald Trump has interfered in both Brazilian and Argentine politics, and the U.S. Navy continues its strikes off Venezuela’s coast in a
In the latest example of American influence, Argentina President Javier Milei, left, has welcomed Donald Trump’s $20-billion bailout even as the American president mused about the country’s elections, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore 

The coming AI crash

  • Far too much money is being spent on long-odds bets that some new artificial intelligence tech will appear that justifies the current ridiculously high
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
The biggest players in the system supporting AI are spending vast amounts of borrowed money on a technology they don’t even fully understand, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann/Pixabay

The coming AI crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
  • Far too much money is being spent on long-odds bets that some new artificial intelligence tech will appear that justifies the current ridiculously high

The coming AI crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2025
  • Far too much money is being spent on long-odds bets that some new artificial intelligence tech will appear that justifies the current ridiculously high
The biggest players in the system supporting AI are spending vast amounts of borrowed money on a technology they don’t even fully understand, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann/Pixabay

Chimps, war, and us 

  • Jane Goodall’s research revealed chimpanzees were far more like us than anybody had suspected. One aspect was deeply troubling: they fight wars. Like us.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
Jane Goodall, pictured in 2019, died on Oct. 1 at the age of 91. She was also one of the greatest self-taught scientists in history, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Fraser University 

Chimps, war, and us 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
  • Jane Goodall’s research revealed chimpanzees were far more like us than anybody had suspected. One aspect was deeply troubling: they fight wars. Like us.

Chimps, war, and us 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 8, 2025
  • Jane Goodall’s research revealed chimpanzees were far more like us than anybody had suspected. One aspect was deeply troubling: they fight wars. Like us.
Jane Goodall, pictured in 2019, died on Oct. 1 at the age of 91. She was also one of the greatest self-taught scientists in history, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Fraser University 

Gaza: the 20-point plan

  • The draft peace plan may not be dead on arrival, but it is extremely vulnerable.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has a very short attention span, but he was able to bully Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into at least the opening stages of a ceasefire, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Gaza: the 20-point plan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
  • The draft peace plan may not be dead on arrival, but it is extremely vulnerable.

Gaza: the 20-point plan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2025
  • The draft peace plan may not be dead on arrival, but it is extremely vulnerable.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has a very short attention span, but he was able to bully Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into at least the opening stages of a ceasefire, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Three months later: where are Iran’s fabled nukes?

  • Iran had 408 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, enough for nine or 10 atomic bombs if the regime chose to go that route, and
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2025
Donald Trump.
Donald Trump.
After the June U.S. bombing on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, President Donald Trump claimed the key facilities ‘have been completely and totally obliterated.’ Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

Three months later: where are Iran’s fabled nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2025
  • Iran had 408 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, enough for nine or 10 atomic bombs if the regime chose to go that route, and

Three months later: where are Iran’s fabled nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 2, 2025
  • Iran had 408 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, enough for nine or 10 atomic bombs if the regime chose to go that route, and
Donald Trump.
After the June U.S. bombing on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, President Donald Trump claimed the key facilities ‘have been completely and totally obliterated.’ Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

The United States: calculating things to come

  • I’d be less confident about saying 'no' to an American civil war than I was in the old Soviet Union because there I couldn’t
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 30, 2025
Portland, Ore., residents protest the U.S. president’s deployment of troops to the city to ‘protect’ an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 28. Screenshot courtesy of YouTube/KPTV Fox 12

The United States: calculating things to come

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 30, 2025
  • I’d be less confident about saying 'no' to an American civil war than I was in the old Soviet Union because there I couldn’t

The United States: calculating things to come

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 30, 2025
  • I’d be less confident about saying 'no' to an American civil war than I was in the old Soviet Union because there I couldn’t
Portland, Ore., residents protest the U.S. president’s deployment of troops to the city to ‘protect’ an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Sept. 28. Screenshot courtesy of YouTube/KPTV Fox 12

Unpacking Ukraine’s winning prospects, Flamingos and all

  • The missiles even things up a bit in the David-and-Goliath war against Russia, but the Ukrainian army has been retreating all year.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 24, 2025
American President Donald Trump, pictured, attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a February White House visit, but this week at the United Nations Trump suggested Ukraine could win back its territory. Official White House photograph

Unpacking Ukraine’s winning prospects, Flamingos and all

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 24, 2025
  • The missiles even things up a bit in the David-and-Goliath war against Russia, but the Ukrainian army has been retreating all year.

Unpacking Ukraine’s winning prospects, Flamingos and all

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 24, 2025
  • The missiles even things up a bit in the David-and-Goliath war against Russia, but the Ukrainian army has been retreating all year.
American President Donald Trump, pictured, attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a February White House visit, but this week at the United Nations Trump suggested Ukraine could win back its territory. Official White House photograph

Is it too late for a Palestinian state?

  • For the first time, big Western countries are recognizing the state, but it is not unified and it still controls no territory.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2025
The cascade of recognitions at the United Nations General Assembly’s annual session in New York is pure gesture politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Manuel Elias

Is it too late for a Palestinian state?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2025
  • For the first time, big Western countries are recognizing the state, but it is not unified and it still controls no territory.

Is it too late for a Palestinian state?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 22, 2025
  • For the first time, big Western countries are recognizing the state, but it is not unified and it still controls no territory.
The cascade of recognitions at the United Nations General Assembly’s annual session in New York is pure gesture politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Manuel Elias

Russia’s air war of flimsy decoys

  • What is President Vladimir Putin’s motive for this bizarre violation of NATO’s borders—especially given that the drones over Poland were not armed?
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 17, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s real goal with the Poland drone strike is to stampede NATO’s European countries into spending large amounts on their own national defence, instead of continuing to send arms to beleaguered Ukraine, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Russia’s air war of flimsy decoys

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 17, 2025
  • What is President Vladimir Putin’s motive for this bizarre violation of NATO’s borders—especially given that the drones over Poland were not armed?

Russia’s air war of flimsy decoys

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 17, 2025
  • What is President Vladimir Putin’s motive for this bizarre violation of NATO’s borders—especially given that the drones over Poland were not armed?
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s real goal with the Poland drone strike is to stampede NATO’s European countries into spending large amounts on their own national defence, instead of continuing to send arms to beleaguered Ukraine, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Same crime, different fate for Bolsonaro and Trump

  • Compared to the 2022 Brazilian attempted coup, the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol was much less serious—yet look at which country is in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 15, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and former president Jair Bolsonaro.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Most Republican voters still believe that U.S. President Donald Trump, left, won the 2020 election. By contrast, only 36 per cent of Brazilians doubt that former president Jair Bolsonaro was part of the 2022 coup plot, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Same crime, different fate for Bolsonaro and Trump

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 15, 2025
  • Compared to the 2022 Brazilian attempted coup, the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol was much less serious—yet look at which country is in

Same crime, different fate for Bolsonaro and Trump

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 15, 2025
  • Compared to the 2022 Brazilian attempted coup, the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol was much less serious—yet look at which country is in
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Most Republican voters still believe that U.S. President Donald Trump, left, won the 2020 election. By contrast, only 36 per cent of Brazilians doubt that former president Jair Bolsonaro was part of the 2022 coup plot, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Qatar strike makes clear Israel has no interest in a ceasefire

  • Israel bombing America's closest ally in the Gulf puts every Arab country on notice that nobody is safe.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 10, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
With the bombing of Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it blindingly clear he wants to avoid a ceasefire in Gaza, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy of Loey Felipe

Qatar strike makes clear Israel has no interest in a ceasefire

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 10, 2025
  • Israel bombing America's closest ally in the Gulf puts every Arab country on notice that nobody is safe.

Qatar strike makes clear Israel has no interest in a ceasefire

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 10, 2025
  • Israel bombing America's closest ally in the Gulf puts every Arab country on notice that nobody is safe.
Benjamin Netanyahu
With the bombing of Qatar, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it blindingly clear he wants to avoid a ceasefire in Gaza, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy of Loey Felipe

No ‘new world order’ is coming

  • All the hype about the launch of a new ‘Asian century’ founders on the hard, unyielding fact that there is no Asia except in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 9, 2025
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit was a stage-managed coming-out party for China’s new superpower status, but no actual deals were done, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

No ‘new world order’ is coming

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 9, 2025
  • All the hype about the launch of a new ‘Asian century’ founders on the hard, unyielding fact that there is no Asia except in

No ‘new world order’ is coming

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 9, 2025
  • All the hype about the launch of a new ‘Asian century’ founders on the hard, unyielding fact that there is no Asia except in
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit was a stage-managed coming-out party for China’s new superpower status, but no actual deals were done, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’ is insane but not impossible

  • The leaked U.S. pitch to remodel the wartorn region into a shiny new city built on ruins is both a bizarre and illegal project.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 4, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, held a White House meeting to discuss plans for Gaza’s future, with former British prime minister Tony Blair in the mix among real estate developers and others. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’ is insane but not impossible

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 4, 2025
  • The leaked U.S. pitch to remodel the wartorn region into a shiny new city built on ruins is both a bizarre and illegal project.

Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’ is insane but not impossible

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 4, 2025
  • The leaked U.S. pitch to remodel the wartorn region into a shiny new city built on ruins is both a bizarre and illegal project.
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, held a White House meeting to discuss plans for Gaza’s future, with former British prime minister Tony Blair in the mix among real estate developers and others. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Here come the refugees

  • This rage for deportation started in the developed countries, but it is catching on everywhere. 
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 3, 2025
British MP Nigel Farage recently promised that a Reform U.K. government would deport 600,000 people during its first five years in power. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Here come the refugees

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 3, 2025
  • This rage for deportation started in the developed countries, but it is catching on everywhere. 

Here come the refugees

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | September 3, 2025
  • This rage for deportation started in the developed countries, but it is catching on everywhere. 
British MP Nigel Farage recently promised that a Reform U.K. government would deport 600,000 people during its first five years in power. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

America, Greenland, and upending the territorial status quo

  • Outside of the United States and Russia, most governments still uphold the key law about borders, regardless of their domestic political arrangements.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 28, 2025
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
Denmark has accused the United States of running a covert operation in Greenland. The attempt to recruit a few ‘pro-American’ Greenlanders to front the operation suggests President Donald Trump’s regime prefers a non-violent conquest if at all possible, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph courtesy of Daniel Torok

America, Greenland, and upending the territorial status quo

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 28, 2025
  • Outside of the United States and Russia, most governments still uphold the key law about borders, regardless of their domestic political arrangements.

America, Greenland, and upending the territorial status quo

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 28, 2025
  • Outside of the United States and Russia, most governments still uphold the key law about borders, regardless of their domestic political arrangements.
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
Denmark has accused the United States of running a covert operation in Greenland. The attempt to recruit a few ‘pro-American’ Greenlanders to front the operation suggests President Donald Trump’s regime prefers a non-violent conquest if at all possible, writes Gwynne Dyer. Official White House photograph courtesy of Daniel Torok

Africa needs more than a ‘change the map’ campaign 

  • African economies have grown slowly over the past 50 years, but population growth has meant that real per capita incomes in most African countries
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 26, 2025
People are learning ‘from a distorted map,’ says Speak Up Africa founder Fara Ndiaye, leading to ‘a biased view of Africa’s role in the world.’ Photograph courtesy of Unsplash

Africa needs more than a ‘change the map’ campaign 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 26, 2025
  • African economies have grown slowly over the past 50 years, but population growth has meant that real per capita incomes in most African countries

Africa needs more than a ‘change the map’ campaign 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 26, 2025
  • African economies have grown slowly over the past 50 years, but population growth has meant that real per capita incomes in most African countries
People are learning ‘from a distorted map,’ says Speak Up Africa founder Fara Ndiaye, leading to ‘a biased view of Africa’s role in the world.’ Photograph courtesy of Unsplash

Trump’s delusional pitch for the Nobel Peace Prize 

  • The truth is that both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy privately view Donald Trump with contempt, and neither will sign up to a premature
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 21, 2025
Donald Trump, left, and President Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump, left, and President Vladimir Putin.
The campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump, left, for the peace prize includes pretending he can end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but that conquest is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s heritage project, and he can still keep the war going for years, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump’s delusional pitch for the Nobel Peace Prize 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 21, 2025
  • The truth is that both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy privately view Donald Trump with contempt, and neither will sign up to a premature

Trump’s delusional pitch for the Nobel Peace Prize 

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 21, 2025
  • The truth is that both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy privately view Donald Trump with contempt, and neither will sign up to a premature
Donald Trump, left, and President Vladimir Putin.
The campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump, left, for the peace prize includes pretending he can end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but that conquest is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s heritage project, and he can still keep the war going for years, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump management

  • It’s impossible to be always the last person Donald Trump speaks to, and the effort to be that person soon degenerates into slapstick and
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
Donald Trump
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

Trump management

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
  • It’s impossible to be always the last person Donald Trump speaks to, and the effort to be that person soon degenerates into slapstick and

Trump management

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 19, 2025
  • It’s impossible to be always the last person Donald Trump speaks to, and the effort to be that person soon degenerates into slapstick and
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

The AI crash

  • This is a financial crash of the sort that usually accompanies an exciting new technology, not an existential crisis, but it is definitely on
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

The AI crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 14, 2025
  • This is a financial crash of the sort that usually accompanies an exciting new technology, not an existential crisis, but it is definitely on

The AI crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 14, 2025
  • This is a financial crash of the sort that usually accompanies an exciting new technology, not an existential crisis, but it is definitely on
We are probably in the final phase of the artificial intelligence investment frenzy right now, writes Gwynne Dyer. Unsplash photograph by Igor Omilaev

Trump and his whooshing deadlines

  • Whatever happens at the upcoming Alaska summit, U.S. President Donald Trump will go on setting deadlines and then missing them.
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

Trump and his whooshing deadlines

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 11, 2025
  • Whatever happens at the upcoming Alaska summit, U.S. President Donald Trump will go on setting deadlines and then missing them.

Trump and his whooshing deadlines

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 11, 2025
  • Whatever happens at the upcoming Alaska summit, U.S. President Donald Trump will go on setting deadlines and then missing them.
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

The two Netanyahus in the face of famine and genocide

  • One version of the Israeli leader is the amoral master tactician who has no permanent allies. Or the other more sinister character, whose goal
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
Benjamin Netanyahu
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

The two Netanyahus in the face of famine and genocide

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
  • One version of the Israeli leader is the amoral master tactician who has no permanent allies. Or the other more sinister character, whose goal

The two Netanyahus in the face of famine and genocide

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 6, 2025
  • One version of the Israeli leader is the amoral master tactician who has no permanent allies. Or the other more sinister character, whose goal
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

Major powers resorting to war more often, and doing so without even trying to justify it under the UN Charter rules

  • Maybe so much time has passed that some countries have forgotten what everybody’s objective was at the end of the Second World War: to
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

Major powers resorting to war more often, and doing so without even trying to justify it under the UN Charter rules

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 5, 2025
  • Maybe so much time has passed that some countries have forgotten what everybody’s objective was at the end of the Second World War: to

Major powers resorting to war more often, and doing so without even trying to justify it under the UN Charter rules

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 5, 2025
  • Maybe so much time has passed that some countries have forgotten what everybody’s objective was at the end of the Second World War: to
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

Counting babies in China (and elsewhere)

  • Declining populations almost everywhere should not be seen only as a problem. If we are now heading back down to a population of three
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

Counting babies in China (and elsewhere)

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 1, 2025
  • Declining populations almost everywhere should not be seen only as a problem. If we are now heading back down to a population of three

Counting babies in China (and elsewhere)

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | August 1, 2025
  • Declining populations almost everywhere should not be seen only as a problem. If we are now heading back down to a population of three
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

The pantomime ends in Gaza

  • Since food distribution to Palestinians is so erratic, deaths from this artificial famine continue to grow. It’s not clear whether this is random malevolence
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

The pantomime ends in Gaza

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2025
  • Since food distribution to Palestinians is so erratic, deaths from this artificial famine continue to grow. It’s not clear whether this is random malevolence

The pantomime ends in Gaza

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | July 28, 2025
  • Since food distribution to Palestinians is so erratic, deaths from this artificial famine continue to grow. It’s not clear whether this is random malevolence
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
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Climate change hits southern Africa

  • LONDON, U.K.—Tropical Storm Ana in January, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two ‘tropical
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2022
Tropical Storm Ana in January, pictured, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two ‘tropical storms’ in six weeks hitting the coasts of southeast Africa. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Climate change hits southern Africa

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Tropical Storm Ana in January, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two ‘tropical

Climate change hits southern Africa

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 26, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Tropical Storm Ana in January, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two ‘tropical
Tropical Storm Ana in January, pictured, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai in February, then Dumako, Emnati and Gombe in quick succession: three cyclones and two ‘tropical storms’ in six weeks hitting the coasts of southeast Africa. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Is Russia’s talk of nuclear weapon use propaganda or hinting at Putin’s endgame?

  • LONDON, U.K.—Last week Vladimir Soloviev, the anchor of Russia’s most popular current affairs show, Sunday Evening, was delivering his usual “all is going splendidly”
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 21, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured in 2013 with Vladimir Soloviev, anchor of popular Russian current affairs show, "Sunday Evening". Soloviev is an opinionated motor-mouth and as close to Putin as anyone in the media can get, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Is Russia’s talk of nuclear weapon use propaganda or hinting at Putin’s endgame?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Last week Vladimir Soloviev, the anchor of Russia’s most popular current affairs show, Sunday Evening, was delivering his usual “all is going splendidly”

Is Russia’s talk of nuclear weapon use propaganda or hinting at Putin’s endgame?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Last week Vladimir Soloviev, the anchor of Russia’s most popular current affairs show, Sunday Evening, was delivering his usual “all is going splendidly”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured in 2013 with Vladimir Soloviev, anchor of popular Russian current affairs show, "Sunday Evening". Soloviev is an opinionated motor-mouth and as close to Putin as anyone in the media can get, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Britain’s shame

  • LONDON, U.K.—It’s generally bad form to quote another journalist, but Stewart Lee’s day job is stand-up comedian, so we can make an exception just
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2022
For more than a year, Boris Johnson's Conservative government has been haunted by 'Partygate,' an ongoing scandal concerning numerous drinks parties at the prime minister’s office and residence when the United Kingdom was in COVID lockdown, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Dawson/No. 10 Downing Street

Britain’s shame

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It’s generally bad form to quote another journalist, but Stewart Lee’s day job is stand-up comedian, so we can make an exception just

Britain’s shame

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 20, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It’s generally bad form to quote another journalist, but Stewart Lee’s day job is stand-up comedian, so we can make an exception just
For more than a year, Boris Johnson's Conservative government has been haunted by 'Partygate,' an ongoing scandal concerning numerous drinks parties at the prime minister’s office and residence when the United Kingdom was in COVID lockdown, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Simon Dawson/No. 10 Downing Street

Ukraine: the second Russian offensive

  • LONDON, U.K.—Ukraine wants more offensive weapons including modern tanks, self-propelled artillery, and combat aircraft from NATO countries for its war against the Russian invaders,
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 14, 2022
Ukraine wants more offensive weapons, but it won’t be getting them from U.S. President Joe Biden in the latest tranche of American military aid—and there is a good reason for that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Ukraine: the second Russian offensive

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 14, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Ukraine wants more offensive weapons including modern tanks, self-propelled artillery, and combat aircraft from NATO countries for its war against the Russian invaders,

Ukraine: the second Russian offensive

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 14, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Ukraine wants more offensive weapons including modern tanks, self-propelled artillery, and combat aircraft from NATO countries for its war against the Russian invaders,
Ukraine wants more offensive weapons, but it won’t be getting them from U.S. President Joe Biden in the latest tranche of American military aid—and there is a good reason for that, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

French election, round two

  • LONDON, U.K.—French President Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the presidential election on April 10, but he’s still in trouble. He knew he
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 11, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron, pictured in June 2018, won the first round of the presidential election on April 10, but he’s still in trouble, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

French election, round two

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 11, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—French President Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the presidential election on April 10, but he’s still in trouble. He knew he

French election, round two

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 11, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—French President Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the presidential election on April 10, but he’s still in trouble. He knew he
French President Emmanuel Macron, pictured in June 2018, won the first round of the presidential election on April 10, but he’s still in trouble, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Ukraine: the impact of the atrocities

  • LONDON, U.K.—Four years after the Soviet Army fought its way into Berlin in 1945, Moscow built a huge memorial in Treptower Park to the
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 6, 2022
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured addressing the UN Security Council on April 5, told Ukrainian journalists on April 4: 'Ukraine will definitely not be what we wanted it to be from the beginning. It is impossible. We will become a ‘big Israel’ with its own face.' Screen shot courtesy of NBC NEWS NOW

Ukraine: the impact of the atrocities

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 6, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Four years after the Soviet Army fought its way into Berlin in 1945, Moscow built a huge memorial in Treptower Park to the

Ukraine: the impact of the atrocities

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 6, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Four years after the Soviet Army fought its way into Berlin in 1945, Moscow built a huge memorial in Treptower Park to the
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured addressing the UN Security Council on April 5, told Ukrainian journalists on April 4: 'Ukraine will definitely not be what we wanted it to be from the beginning. It is impossible. We will become a ‘big Israel’ with its own face.' Screen shot courtesy of NBC NEWS NOW

Truces in Ethiopia and Yemen a welcome change to war

  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks ago, the three biggest wars in the world were in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Now truces have silenced the guns and
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
The Ethiopian government’s declaration of a 'humanitarian truce' on March 24 came as a surprise, writes Gwynne Dyer. Six months ago rebels advanced from their home province of Tigray more than halfway to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, pictured, seemed on the brink of defeat. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Truces in Ethiopia and Yemen a welcome change to war

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks ago, the three biggest wars in the world were in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Now truces have silenced the guns and

Truces in Ethiopia and Yemen a welcome change to war

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks ago, the three biggest wars in the world were in Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Now truces have silenced the guns and
The Ethiopian government’s declaration of a 'humanitarian truce' on March 24 came as a surprise, writes Gwynne Dyer. Six months ago rebels advanced from their home province of Tigray more than halfway to the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, pictured, seemed on the brink of defeat. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Do the Russians have war in their blood?

  • LONDON, U.K.—The geopolitical views of my grandmother, Florence O’Driscoll, could have been summed up in seven words: ‘The Germans Have War in their Blood’.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
What dragged this growing conviction out into the light was Joe Biden’s unfortunate remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.' That was widely interpreted as an incitement to regime change in Moscow, which would be a good idea but is not a permissible comment in terms of international diplomatic discourse, writes Gwynne Dyer Photographs courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Do the Russians have war in their blood?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—The geopolitical views of my grandmother, Florence O’Driscoll, could have been summed up in seven words: ‘The Germans Have War in their Blood’.

Do the Russians have war in their blood?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | April 4, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—The geopolitical views of my grandmother, Florence O’Driscoll, could have been summed up in seven words: ‘The Germans Have War in their Blood’.
What dragged this growing conviction out into the light was Joe Biden’s unfortunate remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'cannot remain in power.' That was widely interpreted as an incitement to regime change in Moscow, which would be a good idea but is not a permissible comment in terms of international diplomatic discourse, writes Gwynne Dyer Photographs courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Ukraine: what next?

  • LONDON, U.K.—Russian troops are stalled for the third week outside most of the major cities of eastern and central Ukraine, but they have failed
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured Feb. 19, 2022, observes strategic deterrence forces exercise in the Kremlin’s situation room. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Ukraine: what next?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Russian troops are stalled for the third week outside most of the major cities of eastern and central Ukraine, but they have failed

Ukraine: what next?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Russian troops are stalled for the third week outside most of the major cities of eastern and central Ukraine, but they have failed
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured Feb. 19, 2022, observes strategic deterrence forces exercise in the Kremlin’s situation room. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Ukraine invasion a lesson for China on what not to do with Taiwan

  • LONDON, U.K.—Almost a month in, China is still being extremely coy about its attitude towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The regime is acutely
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 21, 2022
It’s unlikely that Xi Jinping’s advisers will be urging him to seize this moment to attack Taiwan, because what he sees in Russia is a brother autocrat, Vladimir Putin, who took a similar gamble and is facing a humiliating defeat, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Ukraine invasion a lesson for China on what not to do with Taiwan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Almost a month in, China is still being extremely coy about its attitude towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The regime is acutely

Ukraine invasion a lesson for China on what not to do with Taiwan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Almost a month in, China is still being extremely coy about its attitude towards the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The regime is acutely
It’s unlikely that Xi Jinping’s advisers will be urging him to seize this moment to attack Taiwan, because what he sees in Russia is a brother autocrat, Vladimir Putin, who took a similar gamble and is facing a humiliating defeat, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Reviving Iran nuclear deal a complicated equation

  • LONDON, U.K.—As with most remarriages between the same partners, the participants are not exactly starry-eyed. They have just figured out that the old deal
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 17, 2022
Both Israeli and U.S. senior military officers concluded the old deal was better than nothing, and U.S. President Joe Biden was of the same mind, when last autumn he instructed his diplomatic people to stop trying to screw extra concessions out of the Iranians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Wikimedia Commons photograph by Gage Skidmore

Reviving Iran nuclear deal a complicated equation

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—As with most remarriages between the same partners, the participants are not exactly starry-eyed. They have just figured out that the old deal

Reviving Iran nuclear deal a complicated equation

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—As with most remarriages between the same partners, the participants are not exactly starry-eyed. They have just figured out that the old deal
Both Israeli and U.S. senior military officers concluded the old deal was better than nothing, and U.S. President Joe Biden was of the same mind, when last autumn he instructed his diplomatic people to stop trying to screw extra concessions out of the Iranians, writes Gwynne Dyer. Wikimedia Commons photograph by Gage Skidmore

Ukraine’s nuclear mistake

  • LONDON, U.K.—Would Vladimir Putin’s Russia have invaded Ukraine three weeks ago if it had 1,900 nuclear warheads on 176 ICBMs and 2,600 tactical nuclear
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 14, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, depicted in this drawing, invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Would Putin’s Russia have invaded Ukraine three weeks ago if it had 1,900 nuclear warheads on 176 ICBMs and 2,600 tactical nuclear weapons? Of course not. He wouldn’t have invaded if Ukraine had even one nuclear missile capable of reaching Moscow, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Pixabay

Ukraine’s nuclear mistake

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 14, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Would Vladimir Putin’s Russia have invaded Ukraine three weeks ago if it had 1,900 nuclear warheads on 176 ICBMs and 2,600 tactical nuclear

Ukraine’s nuclear mistake

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 14, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Would Vladimir Putin’s Russia have invaded Ukraine three weeks ago if it had 1,900 nuclear warheads on 176 ICBMs and 2,600 tactical nuclear
Russian President Vladimir Putin, depicted in this drawing, invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Would Putin’s Russia have invaded Ukraine three weeks ago if it had 1,900 nuclear warheads on 176 ICBMs and 2,600 tactical nuclear weapons? Of course not. He wouldn’t have invaded if Ukraine had even one nuclear missile capable of reaching Moscow, writes Gwynne Dyer. Image courtesy of Pixabay

Putin’s two options in Ukraine war’s second phase: retreat or mass slaughter

  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, and still no “decapitation” of the Ukrainian government, no city captured except Kherson (which no non-Ukrainian had
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 10, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured March 29, 2017, started bombing Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The task for NATO now is to protect Ukraine, the country it kept out, while avoiding a nuclear war, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Putin’s two options in Ukraine war’s second phase: retreat or mass slaughter

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 10, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, and still no “decapitation” of the Ukrainian government, no city captured except Kherson (which no non-Ukrainian had

Putin’s two options in Ukraine war’s second phase: retreat or mass slaughter

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 10, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, and still no “decapitation” of the Ukrainian government, no city captured except Kherson (which no non-Ukrainian had
Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured March 29, 2017, started bombing Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The task for NATO now is to protect Ukraine, the country it kept out, while avoiding a nuclear war, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Women lose regardless who wins South Korean presidential election

  • LONDON, U.K.—Gender is not the only issue in this week’s election in South Korea, but it’s the hot-button topic. It’s not clear if there
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2022
Moon Jae-in speaks at his inauguration ceremony as the 19th president of South Korea on May 10, 2017, in the country's capital, Seoul. The conservative and liberal presidential candidates are a long way from the politics of the outgoing president, who declared himself the country’s first 'feminist president,' raised the minimum wage, and cut the maximum work-week from 68 to 52 hours. Jeon Han photograph courtesy of Korea.net/Korean Culture and Information Service

Women lose regardless who wins South Korean presidential election

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Gender is not the only issue in this week’s election in South Korea, but it’s the hot-button topic. It’s not clear if there

Women lose regardless who wins South Korean presidential election

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 8, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Gender is not the only issue in this week’s election in South Korea, but it’s the hot-button topic. It’s not clear if there
Moon Jae-in speaks at his inauguration ceremony as the 19th president of South Korea on May 10, 2017, in the country's capital, Seoul. The conservative and liberal presidential candidates are a long way from the politics of the outgoing president, who declared himself the country’s first 'feminist president,' raised the minimum wage, and cut the maximum work-week from 68 to 52 hours. Jeon Han photograph courtesy of Korea.net/Korean Culture and Information Service

Putin: junkie madman?

  • LONDON, U.K.—It was my wife Tina who noticed it first, a couple of weeks ago. Her father Charl, a clever, gentle man whom we
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 3, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin's puffy face has some suggesting it's a sign he's taking steroids. Anabolic steroids are associated with increased irritability and aggression; corticosteroids are sometimes linked to mania and psychosis, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Cia Pak

Putin: junkie madman?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It was my wife Tina who noticed it first, a couple of weeks ago. Her father Charl, a clever, gentle man whom we

Putin: junkie madman?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 3, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—It was my wife Tina who noticed it first, a couple of weeks ago. Her father Charl, a clever, gentle man whom we
Russian President Vladimir Putin's puffy face has some suggesting it's a sign he's taking steroids. Anabolic steroids are associated with increased irritability and aggression; corticosteroids are sometimes linked to mania and psychosis, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph by Cia Pak

The United Nations and the real world order

  • LONDON, U.K.—Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week, many people have expressed their shock and horror at Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2022
Hundreds of Ukrainian Canadians and their supporters marched in Ottawa on Feb. 27, protesting Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Many people have expressed their shock and horror at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law and the death of the 'rules-based world order,' but there’s actually no reason for surprise. Those people just never understood what the rules really were, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

The United Nations and the real world order

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week, many people have expressed their shock and horror at Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law

The United Nations and the real world order

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | March 1, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week, many people have expressed their shock and horror at Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law
Hundreds of Ukrainian Canadians and their supporters marched in Ottawa on Feb. 27, protesting Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Many people have expressed their shock and horror at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law and the death of the 'rules-based world order,' but there’s actually no reason for surprise. Those people just never understood what the rules really were, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Ukraine: 10 new realities

  • LONDON, U.K.—Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine and foreclosed his and everybody else’s other options, certain aspects of the near future
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured March 29, 2017, has invaded Ukraine and foreclosed his and everybody else’s other options, certain aspects of the near future have become clear. So have some aspects of the longer run. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Ukraine: 10 new realities

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine and foreclosed his and everybody else’s other options, certain aspects of the near future

Ukraine: 10 new realities

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine and foreclosed his and everybody else’s other options, certain aspects of the near future
Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured March 29, 2017, has invaded Ukraine and foreclosed his and everybody else’s other options, certain aspects of the near future have become clear. So have some aspects of the longer run. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Putin: the ‘madman’ gambit?

  • LONDON, U.K.—U.S. President Richard Nixon, in 1971: You can say, “I cannot control him.” Put it that way. U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger:
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
None of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions so far qualify as 'irrevocable and plainly crazy,' though they all point, in the best Machiavellian fashion, to the likelihood that he’s mad, bad, and very, very dangerous, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Putin: the ‘madman’ gambit?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—U.S. President Richard Nixon, in 1971: You can say, “I cannot control him.” Put it that way. U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger:

Putin: the ‘madman’ gambit?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 24, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—U.S. President Richard Nixon, in 1971: You can say, “I cannot control him.” Put it that way. U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger:
None of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions so far qualify as 'irrevocable and plainly crazy,' though they all point, in the best Machiavellian fashion, to the likelihood that he’s mad, bad, and very, very dangerous, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin

Chagos: a 50-year-old crime

  • LONDON, U.K.—“The object of the exercise is to get some rocks which will remain ours… There will be no Indigenous population except seagulls,” wrote
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 21, 2022
The Chagos Islands, an archipelago of 62 coral atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean, would make an ideal bomber base from which to dominate  most of south Asia and eastern Africa, and in 1966, the Pentagon wanted it, writes Gwynne Dyer. Britain still insists it is the sovereign power on the islands (although it is the U.S. that runs them), but since the International Court of Justice ruled in 2019 that the whole expulsion of the islanders had been illegal it has been on the defensive. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Chagos: a 50-year-old crime

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“The object of the exercise is to get some rocks which will remain ours… There will be no Indigenous population except seagulls,” wrote

Chagos: a 50-year-old crime

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 21, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—“The object of the exercise is to get some rocks which will remain ours… There will be no Indigenous population except seagulls,” wrote
The Chagos Islands, an archipelago of 62 coral atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean, would make an ideal bomber base from which to dominate  most of south Asia and eastern Africa, and in 1966, the Pentagon wanted it, writes Gwynne Dyer. Britain still insists it is the sovereign power on the islands (although it is the U.S. that runs them), but since the International Court of Justice ruled in 2019 that the whole expulsion of the islanders had been illegal it has been on the defensive. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Afghanistan: the Taliban and the starving Afghans

  • LONDON, U.K.—Because the Taliban have been designated as “terrorists,” it is possible for the United States not only to embargo American aid and trade
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 17, 2022
Because the Taliban have been designated as 'terrorists,' it is possible for the United States not only to embargo American aid and trade to Afghanistan, but also to block or at least seriously hinder efforts by other countries to send humanitarian aid. As a result, more than half the country’s people—23 million at last count—are suddenly near starvation, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screen capture image courtesy of PBS News

Afghanistan: the Taliban and the starving Afghans

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Because the Taliban have been designated as “terrorists,” it is possible for the United States not only to embargo American aid and trade

Afghanistan: the Taliban and the starving Afghans

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 17, 2022
  • LONDON, U.K.—Because the Taliban have been designated as “terrorists,” it is possible for the United States not only to embargo American aid and trade
Because the Taliban have been designated as 'terrorists,' it is possible for the United States not only to embargo American aid and trade to Afghanistan, but also to block or at least seriously hinder efforts by other countries to send humanitarian aid. As a result, more than half the country’s people—23 million at last count—are suddenly near starvation, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screen capture image courtesy of PBS News

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