Showing 71 - 80 of 337
Ukraine: Where next after fight to take Kherson?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 16/11/2022
» The recovery of the city of Kherson is the third big victory for the Ukrainian armed forces in three months: first, the reconquest of all of Kharkiv Oblast in September, then the partial destruction of the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Crimea with Russia in October, and now the liberation of Kherson. So where next?
Playing with fire 'in the garden of humanity'
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 11/11/2022
» 'We appear to be witnessing a dramatic and childlike scenario," said Pope Francis in Bahrain on Friday. "In the garden of humanity, instead of cultivating our surroundings, we are playing instead with fire, missiles and bombs, weapons that bring sorrow and death, covering our common home with ashes and hatred."
The benign sociopath that is Elon Musk
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 02/11/2022
» Elon Musk is that rarest of things, a benign sociopath, and therefore a person of considerable value to the world. He has just made a mistake that could ruin his long-term plan, for his purchase of Twitter is almost bound to end in tears. The sharks are always circling the very rich and highly geared, and I find myself worrying about him.
Will Xi Jinping be in charge of China forever?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 14/10/2022
» In the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Congress, which begins in Beijing on Sunday, President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed as president-for-life. If that actually happens, China's ascent to genuine superpower status will be at least delayed. At worst (from the Chinese perspective), it may not happen at all.
3 steps forward, but 2.5 back for populism
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 10/10/2022
» The reports about Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva's impending comeback as Brazilian president verged on the ecstatic in the week before the vote on Oct 2. He was after all, fourteen points ahead of his populist rival, incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro, in the last opinion poll before the vote.
Italy: The hard right nears the reins of power
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/09/2022
» There's an election in Italy this Sunday, almost exactly 100 years after Benito Mussolini's "blackshirts" marched on Rome and brought the first fascist dictator to power.
Apocalypse may be just around the corner
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/09/2022
» Which would be worse: a global nuclear war with all buttons pressed, or real, self-conscious artificial intelligence that goes rogue? You know, the central theme of the Terminator movies.
Risk of imposed ceasefire eases in Ukraine war
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 13/09/2022
» Two months ago, John Bolton wrote an article in The Hill, the leading politics website in Washington, warning against a Russian "October Surprise". He suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might suddenly cease military operations and declare a ceasefire -- which would utterly snooker the Ukrainians.
War sounds death knell for The Last Empire
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/09/2022
» This is not another pipe-sucking reassessment of Mikhail Gorbachev's failed attempt to democratise the Soviet Union thirty years ago. He wasn't actually trying to do that anyway; he was attempting to save the Soviet Union and Communism by civilising and softening the harsh Bolshevik dictatorship that had prevailed since 1917.
Could Boris Johnson make a comeback?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/09/2022
» As a child, outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said he wanted to be "King of the World". He ended up in a somewhat humbler role, was rejected by his own party's members of parliament for his mendacity, corruption and incompetence, and will hand over to his successor, Liz Truss, on Monday. But the Fat Lady still hasn't sung.