Showing 11 - 20 of 43
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.
The 'pink tide' is rising in Latin America
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 15/06/2022
» 'Corruption isn't fought with slogans on TikTok," complained veteran Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro. But social media can win elections, and a right-wing dark horse called Rodolfo Hernández, who calls himself the "King of TikTok", may crush Mr Petro's hopes of becoming Colombia's first-ever leftist president next Sunday.
The rise and fall of sociopathic leadership
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 11/02/2022
» Igenerally leave the psychohistory to Hari Seldon, but just this once I feel sufficiently motivated to venture into the field. The immediate spur for this departure is the spectacle -- half-fascination, half-disgust -- of Boris Johnson, Britain's part-time prime minister, gradually foundering in a sea of his own lies. But there are other examples, too.
Playing football won't turn boys into manly men
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 12/02/2021
» It seemed innocent enough at the start: just a surge in the number of boys coming to school with notes from doctors saying they were excused from playing contact sports. But pretty soon high schools all over China were having trouble finding enough willing young men to make up a football team.
Belarus: Non-violence wins again?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 21/08/2020
» On Monday Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko went to the Minsk Tractor Works, the country's biggest factory with almost 15,000 workers, and did his tough-guy act: "Until you kill me, there will be no other election." The horny-handed sons of toil simply replied by chanting "Ukhodi!" -- Get Out!
A warning from Poland on Trump
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/07/2020
» Few people outside of Poland care about the outcome of last Sunday's presidential election there, but maybe they should. Andrzej Duda is practically a Polish clone of Donald Trump, who will also be seeking re-election less than four months from now -- and Mr Duda squeaked out a victory.
Motive behind Russian vote is anyone's guess
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/07/2020
» 'The very existence of an opportunity for the current president (to be re-elected in 2024), given his major gravitas, would be a stabilising factor for our society," said Valentina Tereshkova, former Soviet cosmonaut, first woman in space, and now, at 83, a member of the Russian Duma (parliament).
Is this crisis really a turning point?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/05/2020
» People who look for silver linings (aka optimists) think that Covid-19 might be the inflection point where we start getting serious about our relationship with the planet. There's no direct link between coronavirus and climate change, but if a tiny virus can bring our whole bustling civilisation to a halt, then how vulnerable will we be to a disordered environment driven by out-of-control global heating?
Will Hungary be outbreak's first casualty?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 04/04/2020
» 'Hello, dictator!" said Jean-Claude Juncker cheerily to Hungary's leader, Victor Orban, at a European Union summit meeting a couple of years ago. The president of the European Commission was only joking, of course, but it was gallows humour. Dictatorship was clearly where Mr Orban was heading -- and now he has arrived.
Nations facing lengthy lockdowns to prevent spread
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 20/03/2020
» Most of the countries in Asia, Europe and North America are now in lockdown to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus. This is the 'suppression' strategy, and it should keep the death rate from going exponential for a while. The unanswered question is: what do we do next?