Showing 1 - 10 of 11
First as tragedy, then as farce: that's Trump
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/03/2025
» Hegel wrote that "all great world-historic facts and personages appear twice." It was Karl Marx who said that Hegel forgot to add that these repeating events happen "first as tragedy, then as farce." You know, like Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump.
Beware of rogue presidents (this time in Korea)
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 07/01/2025
» Turning yourself from a democratically elected president into a dictator is a tricky operation, and most people who try it fail. It's called a "self-coup", from the Spanish auto-golpe, and to try it without first gaining the support of the armed forces is sheer lunacy. Yet, from time to time, an elected president tries to do exactly that.
Ukraine War: South Korea to the rescue?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 20/11/2024
» The consensus assumption is still that Donald Trump will force Ukraine to yield to Russia as soon as he takes office on Jan 20. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself said on Friday that once Mr Trump becomes president the war with Russia will "end sooner" than it would otherwise have done.
South Korea: Very competitive and childless
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 05/03/2024
» There are enough people to go around: eight billion now, compared to two billion less than a hundred years ago. Fifty-one million in South Korea, compared to only twelve million a hundred years ago. So why are South Koreans obsessed about their low birth rate?
Waging a just war and the Gaza Strip
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 07/12/2023
» 'If you [Americans] were OK with us killing 5,000 children, you are OK with killing 10,000 children," said Daniel Levy, a former Israeli diplomat who helped negotiate the Oslo peace accords in the 1990s. That's what Israeli diplomats really think of US policy, he says.
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.
South Korea's gender politics getting ugly
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 10/03/2022
» 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 was ever a successful sexual revolution in the country, but the counter-revolution is definitely doing well. The 'F-word' (feminism) is being used a lot by both major parties, and not in a good way.
Save the old or save the economy?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/04/2020
» The basic choice all along with Covid-19 has been: Do we let the old die, or do we take a big hit economically? So far, the decision almost everywhere has been to take the hit and save the old (or most of them), but in some places it has been a very near-run thing.
Assange foolish not to go to Sweden
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/04/2019
» Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is an unattractive character, and he also has very poor judgement. He should have gone to Sweden seven years ago and faced the rape charges brought against him by two Swedish women. Even if he had been found guilty, he would probably be free by now under Swedish sentencing rules, since no violence was alleged in either case.
Afghanistan: 17 years too late
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 31/01/2019
» 'The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals," said Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, on Tuesday. So why didn't the United States have this discussion with the Taliban 17 years ago, in October 2001?