Showing 1 - 10 of 40
Vintage tonnage keeps Russian oil flowing
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/01/2025
» The name is brilliant: "vintage tonnage". It evokes 17th-century pirate vessels flying the skull-and-crossbones, 18th-century ships-of-the-line bristling with cannons, or even 19th-century clipper ships in full sail bringing tea to England and America. The images are always romantic and often beautiful.
Has Iran finally reached the end of the line?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 02/01/2025
» Six months ago, at the end of Iran's presidential election, I finished an article by speculating that the long-lived theocratic dictatorship in Iran may be a lot closer to its end than its beginning: "If you can plausibly say "This cannot go on forever", you are also saying "Some day this will come to an end'."
Turning a little debate into a major crisis
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 20/12/2024
» One of the daily miracles of the media world is that there is always exactly enough news to fill the slot.
Curious case of Sunak's snap election decision
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/06/2024
» 'Why did he do it? We were all told it would be the autumn and we were hoping by then we could turn things around. It is very perplexing," said a former cabinet minister after Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a surprise election for July 4.
Indonesian poll serves up a curious outcome
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 20/02/2024
» Indonesia's President Joko Widodo concluded his second five-year term last Tuesday with a national election in which his chosen successors won a convincing victory. "Jokowi", as everybody calls him, still enjoys 70% public approval, and he has every right to be proud of his past.
Mideast missile madness gets even worse
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 25/01/2024
» Not all that long ago, attacking another country's territory was still seen as a big deal. It was, in legal terms, an "act of war", liable to have unpleasant and potentially unlimited consequences, including full-scale war. Very powerful countries occasionally made small, one-off attacks on very weak ones to "discipline" them, but even that was relatively rare.
Israel held hostage -- and Joe Biden, too
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/01/2024
» Israel is withdrawing some troops from Gaza because the reservists who were called up for the fighting amount to 10%–15% of the country's workforce and the economy is showing the strain. But "nobody is talking about doves of peace flying", said a senior Israeli official. The intense fighting in Gaza will continue "for six months at least".
The whys and wherefores of expanding Brics
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 29/08/2023
» You can expand the curious organisation called the Brics, but you can't define it. In fact, it's hardly even an organisation: no headquarters, no secretariat. Even the (British) Commonwealth and la Francophonie have more substance: at least they share a former oppressor. Yet the Brics are expanding.
When legal battles shake democracies
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 10/08/2023
» Three of the world's biggest democracies, all with past, present and/or prospective leaders facing prison at the same time. In the end, it's the courts that decide.
Why won't Putin go to South Africa?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/07/2023
» Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he won't be going to South Africa for next month's summit of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), although all the other leaders will be there. In fact, another couple of dozen national leaders who want to join the club will also be there. Why is Mr Putin staying away?