Showing 81 - 89 of 89
Is 2016 the new 1936?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/08/2016
» Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce -- Karl Marx, 1852.
IS is fomenting a Muslim backlash
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/08/2016
» 'Our country is at war," said French President Francois Hollande after a priest was murdered near Rouen in front of his congregation by two attackers who claimed to be serving Islamic State. It's the sort of thing leaders feel compelled to say at times like this, but it does send the wrong message.
What would happen if Brexit actually wins?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 04/06/2016
» After months in which opinion polls showed a 6-10% lead for the "Remain" side in the referendum campaign on continued British membership of the European Union, the numbers have suddenly shifted in favour of "Leave". The latest Guardian/ICM polls revealed that 52% of those polled favour Brexit (British exit from the EU), while only 48% want to stay in.
Will it be Frexit, Nexit or Swexit?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/06/2016
» The EU is dying. I hope we've knocked the first brick out of the wall,” exulted Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party. He proposed that June 23, the day when the British narrowly voted (with 51.8%) to leave the European Union, be a new national holiday called Independence Day.
Russia was right about Syria conflict
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 19/05/2016
» 'The Russians had a more realistic analysis of the situation than practically anybody else," said Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN Special Envoy to Syria. "Everyone should have listened to the Russians a little bit more than they did."
Migrants, euro, Brexit: the EU at risk
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 13/04/2016
» A recent headline in the leading French newspaper Le Monde said it all: "Migrants, the Euro, Brexit: The European Union is mortal." And it's true. The EU could actually collapse over these three threats.
Brussels bombings put in perspective
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 25/03/2016
» Belgium may be a boring country, but it still seems extreme for a Belgian politician to say that the country is now living through its darkest days since the end of the Second World War. Can any country really be so lucky that the worst thing that has happened to it in the past 70 years is a couple of bombs that killed 35 people?
Closing borders and bidding the Schengen zone goodbye
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/02/2016
» 'Europe has forgotten that history is fundamentally tragic," said Manuel Valls, the French prime minister. "If Europe can't protect its own borders, it's the very idea of Europe that could be thrown into doubt. It could disappear -- not Europe itself, not our values, but the European project, the concept we have of Europe, that the founding fathers had of Europe."
Five years on from Arab Spring, democracy can still work
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 20/01/2016
» Five years ago this month, the "Arab Spring" got under way with the non-violent overthrow of Tunisia's long-ruling dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. He dared not order the army to open fire on the demonstrators (because it might not obey), and eventually he flew off off to Saudi Arabia to seek asylum.