Showing 1 - 10 of 35
Iran: Don't intervene there, Mr Trump
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/01/2026
» Any day now, the United States will "come to the rescue" of the protesters in the streets of Iran's cities and American bombers will unleash "hell" on the minions of the theocratic regime -- or not, as the case may be.
What would happen if Khamenei falls?
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 05/01/2026
» The demonstrations began again in Iran last week, only two years after the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement convulsed the country for months. However, the current protests are potentially much broader than that episode because they are driven by the collapse in Iran's currency, the rial (now 1,420,000 to the US dollar), and the explosive rise in the cost of living.
Democracy survives crucial test in Senegal
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 04/04/2024
» The crisis in Senegal, the one country in West Africa that has never had a military coup, has passed. Few people outside Africa were paying close attention to it, but I'm sure you will be pleased to know that democracy has survived.
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.
Unrest stems from France's turbulent past
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 05/07/2023
» On Saturday, the fifth day of violent protests all over France against the police killing of an unarmed teenager, Nahel Merzouk, the daily arrests dropped below 1,000 for the first time, but the violence became even more extreme.
Syria: The rehabilitation of dictator Assad
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/05/2023
» There is no justice. Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator whose membership even the Arab League suspended 12 years ago, is off to Riyadh this week to celebrate his re-admission to the organisation. He will pay no price for his many crimes against humanity: the name of the game now is not retribution but 'rehabilitation'.
In Iran, all options to curb crisis are bad
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 25/10/2022
» 'Death to [fill in the blank]!" has been the slogan of choice chanted by Iranian protesters since the glory days of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. ("Death to the Shah!", "Death to America!", etc) It's now forty-three years later, however, and the content has become a bit more nuanced.
Lebanon quickly sinking in more ways than one
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 21/10/2021
» Off the Lebanese coast about 60 kilometres north of Beirut a 104-metre battleship stands vertically, with her bow and some 30 metres of her length plunged into the mud. The seabed is 140 metres down, but you can even scuba-dive on the stern if you are a technical diver. The ship is a bit like Lebanon, for reasons I'll explain later.
Israel and Hamas: Lies and a glimpse of truth
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 29/05/2021
» First, three lies. The Gaza offensive has yielded "unprecedented military gains", said Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz. The ceasefire last week amounted to a "victory" for the Palestinian people and a defeat for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, said a Hamas official. But the ceasefire brings "genuine opportunity" for progress, said US President Joe Biden.
Belarus: An unexpected opportunity
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/05/2021
» Poland's Prime Minister Mateus Morawiecki has condemned the "hijacking" of the Ryanair jet on the orders of Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko, accusing him of a "reprehensible act of state terrorism".