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Monday, February 16, 2026

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Gwynne Dyer

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

Surviving the population crash

  • The challenge is how to make our way safely down from the old high-birth-rate regime to a new low-birth-rate future because the present pace
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 12, 2026
France's Marine Le Pen, left, the United Kingdom's Nigel Farage, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and United States President Donald Trump. A phalanx of right-wing populists either in power or closing in on it are painting immigration as a threat, and peddling ‘great replacement’ narratives to the angry and the ignorant. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Flickr

Surviving the population crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 12, 2026
  • The challenge is how to make our way safely down from the old high-birth-rate regime to a new low-birth-rate future because the present pace

Surviving the population crash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 12, 2026
  • The challenge is how to make our way safely down from the old high-birth-rate regime to a new low-birth-rate future because the present pace
France's Marine Le Pen, left, the United Kingdom's Nigel Farage, Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and United States President Donald Trump. A phalanx of right-wing populists either in power or closing in on it are painting immigration as a threat, and peddling ‘great replacement’ narratives to the angry and the ignorant. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Flickr

The curious case of China’s disappearing generals

  • All six members of China’s highest military body have been dismissed on suspicion of corruption, including last month the vice-chair, Zhang Youxia, one of
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2026
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping
China’s highest military body is the Central Military Commission, with President Xi Jinping himself in the chair in his parallel role as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The curious case of China’s disappearing generals

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2026
  • All six members of China’s highest military body have been dismissed on suspicion of corruption, including last month the vice-chair, Zhang Youxia, one of

The curious case of China’s disappearing generals

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 9, 2026
  • All six members of China’s highest military body have been dismissed on suspicion of corruption, including last month the vice-chair, Zhang Youxia, one of
Xi Jinping
China’s highest military body is the Central Military Commission, with President Xi Jinping himself in the chair in his parallel role as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The last arms control treaty expires

  • The American president knows nothing about nuclear weapons, and doesn’t care. He is not a man who will put any effort into rebuilding a
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2026
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured in July 2018, are both reckless men, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Shealah Craighead

The last arms control treaty expires

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2026
  • The American president knows nothing about nuclear weapons, and doesn’t care. He is not a man who will put any effort into rebuilding a

The last arms control treaty expires

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 5, 2026
  • The American president knows nothing about nuclear weapons, and doesn’t care. He is not a man who will put any effort into rebuilding a
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured in July 2018, are both reckless men, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Shealah Craighead

Is Iran pretending to have nukes?

  • Iran’s former ayatollah declared the development and use of weapons of mass destruction forbidden on moral and religious grounds. We should take this decree
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 4, 2026
It’s possible that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, pictured, has followed the same stupid strategy as Saddam Hussein did in Iraq, and is approaching the same ugly consequences, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Is Iran pretending to have nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 4, 2026
  • Iran’s former ayatollah declared the development and use of weapons of mass destruction forbidden on moral and religious grounds. We should take this decree

Is Iran pretending to have nukes?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | February 4, 2026
  • Iran’s former ayatollah declared the development and use of weapons of mass destruction forbidden on moral and religious grounds. We should take this decree
It’s possible that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, pictured, has followed the same stupid strategy as Saddam Hussein did in Iraq, and is approaching the same ugly consequences, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Iran an active case study on whether massacres work

  • The regime will effectively be an occupation force that rules only by terror—but such regimes can last a long time if they are ruthless
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
This month’s killing in Iran is on a whole different scale in the nation’s history, and the past is no guide to the future, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screenshot courtesy of BBC News

Iran an active case study on whether massacres work

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
  • The regime will effectively be an occupation force that rules only by terror—but such regimes can last a long time if they are ruthless

Iran an active case study on whether massacres work

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 29, 2026
  • The regime will effectively be an occupation force that rules only by terror—but such regimes can last a long time if they are ruthless
This month’s killing in Iran is on a whole different scale in the nation’s history, and the past is no guide to the future, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screenshot courtesy of BBC News

After Davos, Trump confronts an inflection point

  • Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarkable speech at Davos said what many political and economic elites were thinking: don’t let the bullies win; fear is
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, went into last week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, full of bluster, but he ultimately back-tracked on threats to Greenland, and tariff nations that support the territory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the World Economic Forum/Ciaran McCrickard

After Davos, Trump confronts an inflection point

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarkable speech at Davos said what many political and economic elites were thinking: don’t let the bullies win; fear is

After Davos, Trump confronts an inflection point

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 26, 2026
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarkable speech at Davos said what many political and economic elites were thinking: don’t let the bullies win; fear is
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, went into last week’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, full of bluster, but he ultimately back-tracked on threats to Greenland, and tariff nations that support the territory, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the World Economic Forum/Ciaran McCrickard

One Danish soldier

  • If even one soldier dies in Greenland due to American aggression, NATO nations would be forced to step in.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
United States President Donald Trump often changes his mind, and the number of times he has said he will use force on Greenland is far greater than the times he has said he won’t, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Molly Riley

One Danish soldier

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
  • If even one soldier dies in Greenland due to American aggression, NATO nations would be forced to step in.

One Danish soldier

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 22, 2026
  • If even one soldier dies in Greenland due to American aggression, NATO nations would be forced to step in.
United States President Donald Trump often changes his mind, and the number of times he has said he will use force on Greenland is far greater than the times he has said he won’t, writes Gwynne Dyer White House photograph by Molly Riley

Trump versus NATO, target Greenland

  • For Canada, the problem is that all the (false) American arguments to justify annexing Greenland apply equally to Canada. The strategy seems to be
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Why is U.S. President Donald Trump so obsessed with Greenland? The best guess in NATO circles is that it’s an extension of his old mania of putting his name on every hotel he owned. In this case, it gets his name in American history books, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Joyce N. Boghosia

Trump versus NATO, target Greenland

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
  • For Canada, the problem is that all the (false) American arguments to justify annexing Greenland apply equally to Canada. The strategy seems to be

Trump versus NATO, target Greenland

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 19, 2026
  • For Canada, the problem is that all the (false) American arguments to justify annexing Greenland apply equally to Canada. The strategy seems to be
Donald Trump
Why is U.S. President Donald Trump so obsessed with Greenland? The best guess in NATO circles is that it’s an extension of his old mania of putting his name on every hotel he owned. In this case, it gets his name in American history books, writes Gwynne Dyer.  White House photograph by Joyce N. Boghosia

Why America intervening in Iran is a bad idea

  • LONDON, U.K.— Any day now, the United States will “come to the rescue” of the protesters in the streets of Iran’s cities, and American
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised too much already to do absolutely nothing about the massacre of protesters in Iran, but he should do the absolute minimum he thinks he can get away with, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Why America intervening in Iran is a bad idea

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
  • LONDON, U.K.— Any day now, the United States will “come to the rescue” of the protesters in the streets of Iran’s cities, and American

Why America intervening in Iran is a bad idea

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 15, 2026
  • LONDON, U.K.— Any day now, the United States will “come to the rescue” of the protesters in the streets of Iran’s cities, and American
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised too much already to do absolutely nothing about the massacre of protesters in Iran, but he should do the absolute minimum he thinks he can get away with, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

How NATO members can take on Trump’s Greenland—and Canadian—obsession

  • Ottawa should offer military forces to protect Greenland from Russia and China, and ask the Europeans to send some troops to Canada for protection.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
If U.S. President Donald Trump invades Greenland then NATO, the military alliance that has played a large part in preventing a nuclear war for the past 75 years, dies, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Molly Riley

How NATO members can take on Trump’s Greenland—and Canadian—obsession

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
  • Ottawa should offer military forces to protect Greenland from Russia and China, and ask the Europeans to send some troops to Canada for protection.

How NATO members can take on Trump’s Greenland—and Canadian—obsession

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 12, 2026
  • Ottawa should offer military forces to protect Greenland from Russia and China, and ask the Europeans to send some troops to Canada for protection.
If U.S. President Donald Trump invades Greenland then NATO, the military alliance that has played a large part in preventing a nuclear war for the past 75 years, dies, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Molly Riley

Trump’s case for a Greenland invasion is utter hogwash

  • Despite what the U.S. president says, Greenland is a region of zero strategic importance. If Washington wants to base more troops there, it has
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
President Donald Trump has insisted that the United States needs ‘Greenland from the standpoint of national security.' White House photograph by Molly Riley

Trump’s case for a Greenland invasion is utter hogwash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
  • Despite what the U.S. president says, Greenland is a region of zero strategic importance. If Washington wants to base more troops there, it has

Trump’s case for a Greenland invasion is utter hogwash

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 8, 2026
  • Despite what the U.S. president says, Greenland is a region of zero strategic importance. If Washington wants to base more troops there, it has
President Donald Trump has insisted that the United States needs ‘Greenland from the standpoint of national security.' White House photograph by Molly Riley

Imagining a post-Ayatollah Iran

  • Of the Iranian regime’s proxies, all but one are defunct or gravely weakened. Syria has changed sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is defeated
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 6, 2026
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is facing protests as the country struggles under the collapse of its currency and the explosive rise in the cost of living. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Imagining a post-Ayatollah Iran

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 6, 2026
  • Of the Iranian regime’s proxies, all but one are defunct or gravely weakened. Syria has changed sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is defeated

Imagining a post-Ayatollah Iran

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 6, 2026
  • Of the Iranian regime’s proxies, all but one are defunct or gravely weakened. Syria has changed sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is defeated
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is facing protests as the country struggles under the collapse of its currency and the explosive rise in the cost of living. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump, Venezuela, and seriously bad decisions

  • From Napoleon in Spain two centuries ago to the U.S. army in Iraq two decades ago, military occupations by foreigners usually generate armed resistance
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Without boots on the ground, U.S. President Donald Trump has limited leverage on the Venezuelan regime, which has not been seriously crippled by the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Trump, Venezuela, and seriously bad decisions

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
  • From Napoleon in Spain two centuries ago to the U.S. army in Iraq two decades ago, military occupations by foreigners usually generate armed resistance

Trump, Venezuela, and seriously bad decisions

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | January 5, 2026
  • From Napoleon in Spain two centuries ago to the U.S. army in Iraq two decades ago, military occupations by foreigners usually generate armed resistance
Donald Trump
Without boots on the ground, U.S. President Donald Trump has limited leverage on the Venezuelan regime, which has not been seriously crippled by the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

  • LONDON, U.K.—The Russian word “derzhavnost” is usually translated as “great power status,” but the real meaning is closer to the gangland concept of “respect.”
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured on Aug. 15, 2025, at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Maybe all this time we have been looking in the wrong place for an answer to the question: why does Trump always yield to Putin? Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
  • LONDON, U.K.—The Russian word “derzhavnost” is usually translated as “great power status,” but the real meaning is closer to the gangland concept of “respect.”

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 22, 2025
  • LONDON, U.K.—The Russian word “derzhavnost” is usually translated as “great power status,” but the real meaning is closer to the gangland concept of “respect.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured on Aug. 15, 2025, at the Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Maybe all this time we have been looking in the wrong place for an answer to the question: why does Trump always yield to Putin? Photograph courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok

Rubio’s fantasy and the risk of forever war in Venezuela

  • ‘In my opinion, the three regimes that exist in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba are enemies of humanity,’ said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a second-generation Cuban-American whose parents immigrated several years before Fidel Castro’s Communist regime took power. That history has shaped his politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Rubio’s fantasy and the risk of forever war in Venezuela

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
  • ‘In my opinion, the three regimes that exist in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba are enemies of humanity,’ said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Rubio’s fantasy and the risk of forever war in Venezuela

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 18, 2025
  • ‘In my opinion, the three regimes that exist in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba are enemies of humanity,’ said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a second-generation Cuban-American whose parents immigrated several years before Fidel Castro’s Communist regime took power. That history has shaped his politics, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Geoengineering for grown-ups

  • We need to use every viable technique to hold the average global temperature down while we work frantically to end our emissions.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
A majority of early-career climate scientists now see geoengineering as necessary and inevitable, while many senior ones are still in transition, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

Geoengineering for grown-ups

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
  • We need to use every viable technique to hold the average global temperature down while we work frantically to end our emissions.

Geoengineering for grown-ups

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 16, 2025
  • We need to use every viable technique to hold the average global temperature down while we work frantically to end our emissions.
A majority of early-career climate scientists now see geoengineering as necessary and inevitable, while many senior ones are still in transition, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

Trump’s many ‘peace’ deals turn sour

  • The U.S. president has tried to end warring in Gaza, the Congo, and along the Cambodian-Thailand border. He’s also tried to take credit for
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
United States President Trump’s hyperactive foreign policy record is clearly driven by his obsessive pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Trump’s many ‘peace’ deals turn sour

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
  • The U.S. president has tried to end warring in Gaza, the Congo, and along the Cambodian-Thailand border. He’s also tried to take credit for

Trump’s many ‘peace’ deals turn sour

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 11, 2025
  • The U.S. president has tried to end warring in Gaza, the Congo, and along the Cambodian-Thailand border. He’s also tried to take credit for
Donald Trump
United States President Trump’s hyperactive foreign policy record is clearly driven by his obsessive pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Venezuela strikes are nothing but performative murder

  • We are all back in the 19th century when the Western Hemisphere was the exclusive domain of the U.S.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, President Donald Trump, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trumpworld is going to be a place in which the great powers do what they want, limited only by the strength of other great powers, while the lesser countries do what they are told, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Venezuela strikes are nothing but performative murder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
  • We are all back in the 19th century when the Western Hemisphere was the exclusive domain of the U.S.

Venezuela strikes are nothing but performative murder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 8, 2025
  • We are all back in the 19th century when the Western Hemisphere was the exclusive domain of the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, President Donald Trump, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trumpworld is going to be a place in which the great powers do what they want, limited only by the strength of other great powers, while the lesser countries do what they are told, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Bibi awaits the next Trump distraction to dodge legal troubles

  • The ceasefire in Gaza intensifies the Israeli prime minister’s legal problems since he can no longer demand postponements in his trial proceedings due to
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, in 2022. Netanyahu has asked Herzog to pardon him in his ongoing corruption trial. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Bibi awaits the next Trump distraction to dodge legal troubles

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
  • The ceasefire in Gaza intensifies the Israeli prime minister’s legal problems since he can no longer demand postponements in his trial proceedings due to

Bibi awaits the next Trump distraction to dodge legal troubles

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 1, 2025
  • The ceasefire in Gaza intensifies the Israeli prime minister’s legal problems since he can no longer demand postponements in his trial proceedings due to
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with the country’s president, Isaac Herzog, in 2022. Netanyahu has asked Herzog to pardon him in his ongoing corruption trial. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump and Putin’s goal is to destroy the international rule of law

  • Powerful people are deliberately trying to destroy the rule. Putin knows the rule but ignores it, while Trump doesn’t even know it.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference after their meeting at the Arctic Warrior Event Center at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. Trump and Putin are trying to destroy the international rule of law, writes columnist Gwynne Dyer Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok

Trump and Putin’s goal is to destroy the international rule of law

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
  • Powerful people are deliberately trying to destroy the rule. Putin knows the rule but ignores it, while Trump doesn’t even know it.

Trump and Putin’s goal is to destroy the international rule of law

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 26, 2025
  • Powerful people are deliberately trying to destroy the rule. Putin knows the rule but ignores it, while Trump doesn’t even know it.
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin participate in a joint press conference after their meeting at the Arctic Warrior Event Center at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. Trump and Putin are trying to destroy the international rule of law, writes columnist Gwynne Dyer Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok

Ukraine: once more around the loop

  • Every month brings another chance for some political, economic, or technological change that alters the current equation, and gives Ukraine a better bargaining position
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s job is to know if and when the morale of the Ukrainian army and the general public is starting to break, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Ukraine: once more around the loop

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
  • Every month brings another chance for some political, economic, or technological change that alters the current equation, and gives Ukraine a better bargaining position

Ukraine: once more around the loop

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2025
  • Every month brings another chance for some political, economic, or technological change that alters the current equation, and gives Ukraine a better bargaining position
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s job is to know if and when the morale of the Ukrainian army and the general public is starting to break, writes Gwynne Dyer. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Iran: drought, incompetence, and maybe revolution

  • A prolonged drought in Iran might accomplish what other challenges failed to do: destroy the rule of the religious extremists who seized power in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 19, 2025
Maharloo Lake, a hypersaline wetland in the highlands of Iran. Severe drought in the country could be the trigger for an uprising that finally dispatches a regime that has overstayed its welcome, columnist Gwynne Dyer writes. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Iran: drought, incompetence, and maybe revolution

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 19, 2025
  • A prolonged drought in Iran might accomplish what other challenges failed to do: destroy the rule of the religious extremists who seized power in

Iran: drought, incompetence, and maybe revolution

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 19, 2025
  • A prolonged drought in Iran might accomplish what other challenges failed to do: destroy the rule of the religious extremists who seized power in
Maharloo Lake, a hypersaline wetland in the highlands of Iran. Severe drought in the country could be the trigger for an uprising that finally dispatches a regime that has overstayed its welcome, columnist Gwynne Dyer writes. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump, the BBC, and a bad edit

  • With video editing, there is an honour system which says that you can edit the shot, but you must not change the meaning.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
Pro-Trump rioters occupied Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. Ahead of the protest in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump had posted it would 'be wild.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump, the BBC, and a bad edit

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
  • With video editing, there is an honour system which says that you can edit the shot, but you must not change the meaning.

Trump, the BBC, and a bad edit

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 12, 2025
  • With video editing, there is an honour system which says that you can edit the shot, but you must not change the meaning.
Pro-Trump rioters occupied Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. Ahead of the protest in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump had posted it would 'be wild.' Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

COP 30 unlikely to shift political will

  • Money is tight, wars are a huge distraction, and the climate has become unfashionable, so we’ll just have to wait and hope for better
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
Nothing very impressive is likely to come out of the UN climate conference despite the urgency of the situation, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy by Kiara Worth

COP 30 unlikely to shift political will

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
  • Money is tight, wars are a huge distraction, and the climate has become unfashionable, so we’ll just have to wait and hope for better

COP 30 unlikely to shift political will

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 10, 2025
  • Money is tight, wars are a huge distraction, and the climate has become unfashionable, so we’ll just have to wait and hope for better
Nothing very impressive is likely to come out of the UN climate conference despite the urgency of the situation, writes Gwynne Dyer. UN photograph courtesy by Kiara Worth

Sudan: another partition?

  • The biggest city in western Sudan, swollen to half a million or more people due to minority ethnic groups fleeing genocide, fell to rebel
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda border crossing. Killing in Sudan has been non-stop since October. It’s the worst massacre yet in a civil war that has already killed 150,000 people and made one-third of the population refugees, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United Nations by Ala Kheir

Sudan: another partition?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
  • The biggest city in western Sudan, swollen to half a million or more people due to minority ethnic groups fleeing genocide, fell to rebel

Sudan: another partition?

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2025
  • The biggest city in western Sudan, swollen to half a million or more people due to minority ethnic groups fleeing genocide, fell to rebel
Displaced people arrive in South Sudan from Sudan through the Joda border crossing. Killing in Sudan has been non-stop since October. It’s the worst massacre yet in a civil war that has already killed 150,000 people and made one-third of the population refugees, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the United Nations by Ala Kheir

Trump’s game of ‘Made You Look’

  • If there are new revelations about Trump and Epstein on the way, then the U.S. leader needs useful distractions—like invading Nigeria.
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump can infallibly trick the public into drawing their attention away from something else that he doesn’t want them to see, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Trump’s game of ‘Made You Look’

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
  • If there are new revelations about Trump and Epstein on the way, then the U.S. leader needs useful distractions—like invading Nigeria.

Trump’s game of ‘Made You Look’

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 3, 2025
  • If there are new revelations about Trump and Epstein on the way, then the U.S. leader needs useful distractions—like invading Nigeria.
Donald Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump can infallibly trick the public into drawing their attention away from something else that he doesn’t want them to see, writes Gwynne Dyer. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

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
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Faint hope in Yemen

  • LONDON, U.K.—Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 9, 2019
Protesters, pictured March 7, 2018. Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years old, always looked likely to end up in the second category, and the time may be quite soon. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Faint hope in Yemen

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 9, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years

Faint hope in Yemen

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 9, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years
Protesters, pictured March 7, 2018. Some wars end in victory, but just as many sputter out in exhaustion. The war in Yemen, now coming up on five years old, always looked likely to end up in the second category, and the time may be quite soon. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

NATO at 70

  • LONDON, U.K.—When he took office in January 2017, Donald Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “obsolete”, but he hates all multinational institutions so
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 3, 2019
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pictured with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in 2018 following their meeting in Ottawa. NATO member states are meeting in London, U.K., to mark the alliance's 70th birthday. The Hill Times file photograph by Andrew Meade

NATO at 70

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 3, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—When he took office in January 2017, Donald Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “obsolete”, but he hates all multinational institutions so

NATO at 70

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 3, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—When he took office in January 2017, Donald Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “obsolete”, but he hates all multinational institutions so
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pictured with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in 2018 following their meeting in Ottawa. NATO member states are meeting in London, U.K., to mark the alliance's 70th birthday. The Hill Times file photograph by Andrew Meade

Hong Kong: don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

  • LONDON, U.K.—The ‘silent majority’ in Hong Kong, who regime supporters hoped would show that they are fed up with the pro-democracy protests that have
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
Hong Kong protesters, pictured Aug. 18, 2019. The protesters have been remarkably determined and successful. They have already managed to force Chief Executive Carrie Lam to drop her proposed law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited and tried in Chinese courts. That would have ended the rule of law in the city, since Chinese courts do whatever the regime wants. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikipedia

Hong Kong: don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The ‘silent majority’ in Hong Kong, who regime supporters hoped would show that they are fed up with the pro-democracy protests that have

Hong Kong: don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The ‘silent majority’ in Hong Kong, who regime supporters hoped would show that they are fed up with the pro-democracy protests that have
Hong Kong protesters, pictured Aug. 18, 2019. The protesters have been remarkably determined and successful. They have already managed to force Chief Executive Carrie Lam to drop her proposed law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited and tried in Chinese courts. That would have ended the rule of law in the city, since Chinese courts do whatever the regime wants. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikipedia

So much for promises of ‘early and deep cuts’ to avoid catastrophic climate change

  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up 30
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
A climate protester, pictured on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 27, 2019. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

So much for promises of ‘early and deep cuts’ to avoid catastrophic climate change

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up 30

So much for promises of ‘early and deep cuts’ to avoid catastrophic climate change

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | December 2, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up 30
A climate protester, pictured on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Sept. 27, 2019. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Climate denial: a new strategy

  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up thirty
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 27, 2019
Hundreds gathered in May to protest government inaction on climate change. A new UN climate report found that emissions have gone up 15 per cent in the past 10 years. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Climate denial: a new strategy

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 27, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up thirty

Climate denial: a new strategy

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 27, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—What a surprise! The annual emissions report by the United Nations is now out, and greenhouse gas emissions are still going up thirty
Hundreds gathered in May to protest government inaction on climate change. A new UN climate report found that emissions have gone up 15 per cent in the past 10 years. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

News that isn’t news

  • LONDON, U.K.—As British newspaper magnate Viscount Northcliffe said: “When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2019
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, pictured March 20, 2019, arriving at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, en route Ohio. So by the time Donald Trump got around to declaring the Israeli settlements in the West Bank legal last weekend, it wasn’t news at all. The commentators did their best to make it newsworthy, asking if this will end the ‘peace process’ (as if it hadn’t been dead already for at least 10 years). There’s nothing the Palestinians can do about it, and nobody else really cares, not even other Arab states. Photograph courtesy White House photographer Shealah Craighead

News that isn’t news

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—As British newspaper magnate Viscount Northcliffe said: “When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But

News that isn’t news

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 25, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—As British newspaper magnate Viscount Northcliffe said: “When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But
U.S. President Donald J. Trump, pictured March 20, 2019, arriving at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, en route Ohio. So by the time Donald Trump got around to declaring the Israeli settlements in the West Bank legal last weekend, it wasn’t news at all. The commentators did their best to make it newsworthy, asking if this will end the ‘peace process’ (as if it hadn’t been dead already for at least 10 years). There’s nothing the Palestinians can do about it, and nobody else really cares, not even other Arab states. Photograph courtesy White House photographer Shealah Craighead

Iran is not the exception

  • LONDON, U.K.—This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. It begins to seem possible that it could be one of the last,
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2019
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier this week claimed victory against an 'enemy' plot after security forces cracked down on protests sparked by rising gas prices. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Iran is not the exception

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. It begins to seem possible that it could be one of the last,

Iran is not the exception

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 21, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. It begins to seem possible that it could be one of the last,
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier this week claimed victory against an 'enemy' plot after security forces cracked down on protests sparked by rising gas prices. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Bolivia: not a coup, just a blunder

  • LONDON, U.K.—“Democracy is in danger in Bolivia as the result of legitimate pressures from the poor. We cannot generate economic growth and well-being for
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 18, 2019
Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Bolivia: not a coup, just a blunder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 18, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Democracy is in danger in Bolivia as the result of legitimate pressures from the poor. We cannot generate economic growth and well-being for

Bolivia: not a coup, just a blunder

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 18, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Democracy is in danger in Bolivia as the result of legitimate pressures from the poor. We cannot generate economic growth and well-being for
Photograph courtesy of Flickr

The tribalization of politics

  • LONDON, U.K.—“Homo economicus” is dead. Long live “homo tribuarius”! That’s not really something to celebrate, but it’s certainly true that in most democratic countries
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 13, 2019
Under British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Conservatives have become the pro-Brexit party, but 42 per cent of their traditional voters supported 'Remain' in the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. Flickr photographs by Gage Skidmore and Annie Mole

The tribalization of politics

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 13, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Homo economicus” is dead. Long live “homo tribuarius”! That’s not really something to celebrate, but it’s certainly true that in most democratic countries

The tribalization of politics

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 13, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—“Homo economicus” is dead. Long live “homo tribuarius”! That’s not really something to celebrate, but it’s certainly true that in most democratic countries
Under British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Conservatives have become the pro-Brexit party, but 42 per cent of their traditional voters supported 'Remain' in the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. Flickr photographs by Gage Skidmore and Annie Mole

A European Germany, not a German Europe

  • LONDON, U.K.—The fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 years ago on Saturday, was one of the best parties I ever went to, and certainly
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2019
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate was the site of then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan's famous speech, where he called for the Berlin wall to be torn down. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

A European Germany, not a German Europe

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 years ago on Saturday, was one of the best parties I ever went to, and certainly

A European Germany, not a German Europe

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 6, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The fall of the Berlin Wall, 30 years ago on Saturday, was one of the best parties I ever went to, and certainly
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate was the site of then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan's famous speech, where he called for the Berlin wall to be torn down. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

The Middle East: winners and losers

  • LONDON—The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi serves as a symbolic full stop to the many civil wars that have engulfed Syria in
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 4, 2019
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, a painted portrait. The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi serves as a symbolic full stop to the many civil wars that have engulfed Syria in the past eight years, although Baghdadi was not personally in charge of anything by the time he died. The outcome of all those wars was already becoming clear, and it is the Russians and Bashar al-Assad who have won. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

The Middle East: winners and losers

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 4, 2019
  • LONDON—The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi serves as a symbolic full stop to the many civil wars that have engulfed Syria in

The Middle East: winners and losers

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | November 4, 2019
  • LONDON—The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi serves as a symbolic full stop to the many civil wars that have engulfed Syria in
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, a painted portrait. The death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi serves as a symbolic full stop to the many civil wars that have engulfed Syria in the past eight years, although Baghdadi was not personally in charge of anything by the time he died. The outcome of all those wars was already becoming clear, and it is the Russians and Bashar al-Assad who have won. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Protests everywhere

  • Journalists don’t just travel in packs; they write in packs, too. And what they’re writing this week is endless pipe-sucking ruminations about what’s driving
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 31, 2019
Hong Kong protesters march against the government's extradition bill, which was formally withdrawn on Oct. 23. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Protests everywhere

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 31, 2019
  • Journalists don’t just travel in packs; they write in packs, too. And what they’re writing this week is endless pipe-sucking ruminations about what’s driving

Protests everywhere

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 31, 2019
  • Journalists don’t just travel in packs; they write in packs, too. And what they’re writing this week is endless pipe-sucking ruminations about what’s driving
Hong Kong protesters march against the government's extradition bill, which was formally withdrawn on Oct. 23. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Catalan dilemma

  • LONDON, U.K.—The demonstrations, some of them violent, are still going on in Catalonia a week after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 28, 2019
The demonstrations, some of them violent, are still going on in Catalonia a week after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to between nine and thirteen years in prison for sedition. This was the last thing Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez, left, needed three weeks before a national election in which his Socialist Party was already losing ground to right-wing nationalist parties, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

The Catalan dilemma

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 28, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The demonstrations, some of them violent, are still going on in Catalonia a week after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to

The Catalan dilemma

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 28, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The demonstrations, some of them violent, are still going on in Catalonia a week after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to
The demonstrations, some of them violent, are still going on in Catalonia a week after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine separatist leaders to between nine and thirteen years in prison for sedition. This was the last thing Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez, left, needed three weeks before a national election in which his Socialist Party was already losing ground to right-wing nationalist parties, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

The cure for flygskam

  • Qantas, the Australian airline, has just test-flown the world’s longest commercial air-route: 16,500 kilometres from New York non-stop to Sydney. There were only 60
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2019
Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech at the UN Climate Summit in New York on Sept. 23. Screen capture via YouTube

The cure for flygskam

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2019
  • Qantas, the Australian airline, has just test-flown the world’s longest commercial air-route: 16,500 kilometres from New York non-stop to Sydney. There were only 60

The cure for flygskam

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 24, 2019
  • Qantas, the Australian airline, has just test-flown the world’s longest commercial air-route: 16,500 kilometres from New York non-stop to Sydney. There were only 60
Teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers a speech at the UN Climate Summit in New York on Sept. 23. Screen capture via YouTube

Polish lessons

  • LONDON, U.K.—There is a tension at the heart of populist political parties that may ultimately lead most of them to electoral defeat. They depend
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 21, 2019
In last Sunday’s Polish election, the populist Law and Justice Party, led by Jarosław Kaczyński, won 43.6 per cent of the vote (according to the exit polls) in an election that saw the biggest turnout since the fall of Communism in 1989. Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

Polish lessons

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 21, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—There is a tension at the heart of populist political parties that may ultimately lead most of them to electoral defeat. They depend

Polish lessons

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 21, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—There is a tension at the heart of populist political parties that may ultimately lead most of them to electoral defeat. They depend
In last Sunday’s Polish election, the populist Law and Justice Party, led by Jarosław Kaczyński, won 43.6 per cent of the vote (according to the exit polls) in an election that saw the biggest turnout since the fall of Communism in 1989. Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

Syria: wheels within wheels

  • LONDON, U.K.—Russia and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad win, the Kurds lose, and the United States pull out. It has been hectic on the
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2019
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, declared that he would take over a big chunk of northern Syria to drive out the Syrian Democratic forces, the Kurdish-dominated militia that has been America’s key ally in the fight against Islamic State. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Syria: wheels within wheels

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Russia and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad win, the Kurds lose, and the United States pull out. It has been hectic on the

Syria: wheels within wheels

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 15, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Russia and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad win, the Kurds lose, and the United States pull out. It has been hectic on the
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, declared that he would take over a big chunk of northern Syria to drive out the Syrian Democratic forces, the Kurdish-dominated militia that has been America’s key ally in the fight against Islamic State. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Hopeless in Iraq

  • LONDON, U.K.—Four months of mass protests in the streets of Hong Kong, and thousands of injuries and arrests—but only two gunshot wounds, both very
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 14, 2019
Five days of mass protests in the streets of Baghdad, and there are already 100 dead, most by gunfire from the various ‘security’ forces that work for the government. It’s all the more deplorable because Iraq, unlike the vast majority of Arab states, is not actually ruled by military or royal tyrants, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screen capture courtesy of DW

Hopeless in Iraq

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 14, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Four months of mass protests in the streets of Hong Kong, and thousands of injuries and arrests—but only two gunshot wounds, both very

Hopeless in Iraq

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 14, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Four months of mass protests in the streets of Hong Kong, and thousands of injuries and arrests—but only two gunshot wounds, both very
Five days of mass protests in the streets of Baghdad, and there are already 100 dead, most by gunfire from the various ‘security’ forces that work for the government. It’s all the more deplorable because Iraq, unlike the vast majority of Arab states, is not actually ruled by military or royal tyrants, writes Gwynne Dyer. Screen capture courtesy of DW

Betraying the Kurds, again

  • LONDON, U.K.—Everybody betrays the Kurds. It’s an old Middle Eastern tradition. But given Donald Trump’s reputation for treachery, it’s astonishing how bad he is
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2019
After a telephone conversation on Sunday night with Turkey’s strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he had started pulling American troops out of Syria. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. State Department and Gage Skidmore

Betraying the Kurds, again

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Everybody betrays the Kurds. It’s an old Middle Eastern tradition. But given Donald Trump’s reputation for treachery, it’s astonishing how bad he is

Betraying the Kurds, again

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 9, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—Everybody betrays the Kurds. It’s an old Middle Eastern tradition. But given Donald Trump’s reputation for treachery, it’s astonishing how bad he is
After a telephone conversation on Sunday night with Turkey’s strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he had started pulling American troops out of Syria. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. State Department and Gage Skidmore

Johnson’s a habitual plotter too, but this time he actually needs a cunning plan

  • LONDON, U.K.—The plotting reflex is strong in the populist politicians who currently run both of the big English-speaking countries. U.S. President Donald Trump dreams
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2019
What kind of an emergency? Well, it would probably require blood in the streets, which Boris Johnson can only obtain by provoking Leave supporters to acts of violence. That is why he now uses extreme language to stoke resentment and mobilize anger, talking incessantly about betrayal and treachery. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Johnson’s a habitual plotter too, but this time he actually needs a cunning plan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The plotting reflex is strong in the populist politicians who currently run both of the big English-speaking countries. U.S. President Donald Trump dreams

Johnson’s a habitual plotter too, but this time he actually needs a cunning plan

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 7, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K.—The plotting reflex is strong in the populist politicians who currently run both of the big English-speaking countries. U.S. President Donald Trump dreams
What kind of an emergency? Well, it would probably require blood in the streets, which Boris Johnson can only obtain by provoking Leave supporters to acts of violence. That is why he now uses extreme language to stoke resentment and mobilize anger, talking incessantly about betrayal and treachery. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Why Beijing’s relative restraint in Hong Kong is remarkable

  • LONDON, U.K. After the 17th consecutive weekend of increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong, the first protester was wounded by a live bullet on
Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2019
there are red lines that Chinese President Xi Jinping will never cross, like letting Hong Kong people choose their own government in a free election, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin via Wikimedia Commons

Why Beijing’s relative restraint in Hong Kong is remarkable

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K. After the 17th consecutive weekend of increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong, the first protester was wounded by a live bullet on

Why Beijing’s relative restraint in Hong Kong is remarkable

Opinion | BY GWYNNE DYER | October 3, 2019
  • LONDON, U.K. After the 17th consecutive weekend of increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong, the first protester was wounded by a live bullet on
there are red lines that Chinese President Xi Jinping will never cross, like letting Hong Kong people choose their own government in a free election, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the Kremlin via Wikimedia Commons

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