Showing 121 - 130 of 343
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.
Ukraine has nothing left to lose in latest vote
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 24/04/2019
» Ukraine has a new president, and he's a comedian! Oh, wait a minute, that's not such a big deal. Guatemala was the first country to elect a comedian as president: Jimmy Morales, back in 2015. Although Mr Morales turned sort of serious once he took office: he's a right-wing nationalist who supports the death penalty and opposes abortion. Whereas Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't turned.
Welcome back to the Troubles?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 15/03/2019
» The other Europeans are not laughing at the English for the most part. They are looking at them with pity and scorn. But also with a great deal of impatience.
Golan Heights show conquest still an option
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 27/03/2019
» When President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday affirming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, there was an outcry that went far beyond the Arab world. His action went against the international rule on the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force", we were told -- conquest, in less lawyerly language. Alas, that is just an ideal, not a hard-and-fast international law.
The 'immigrant problem': from bad to worse
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/04/2019
» In a recent survey of potential adult migrants worldwide, 47 million said they would most like to move to Canada. There are only 37 million people in Canada. The same goes for Australia: 36 million would like to move there; only 25 million do live there. Most of these would-be immigrants are going to be disappointed. In fact, Canada lets in just 300,000 immigrants a year; Australia 200,000.
Could falling living standards fuel 2nd Arab Spring?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 09/03/2019
» The slogans of the "Arab Spring" are being heard again in the Arab world. "The people want the fall of the regime," chant the protesters in Sudan, where almost three months of popular demonstrations challenge the power of long-ruling dictator Omar al-Bashir. He acknowledges the parallels himself, condemning the demos as "an attempt to copy the so-called Arab spring for Sudan".
The silence over China's Muslims in Xinjiang
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 13/03/2019
» Muslim governments were not silent when Myanmar murdered thousands of Rohingya, its Muslim minority, and expelled 700,000 of them across the border into Bangladesh. They were unanimous in their anger when the Trump administration moved the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But they are almost silent on China's attempt to suppress Islam in its far western province, Xinjiang.
Little to show for US role in Mideast wars
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 14/02/2019
» Last Wednesday Donald Trump said: "It should be announced, probably some time next week, that we will have 100% of the [Islamic State[ caliphate." Well, it is next week now, and by the weekend Mr Trump will probably have made exactly that announcement. He will be right, too: IS as a major threat has been defeated for good.
Donald Trump the promise-keeper
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 19/02/2019
» Donald Trump is a man of his word, and he promised his "base" to build a wall on the US border with Mexico to stop an "invasion of gangs, invasion of drugs, invasion of people". It turns out that Mexico isn't willing to pay for it after all, but a promise is a promise. So he has declared a fake "national emergency" to get his hands on the money he needs.
No real choice in Nigerian election
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 22/02/2019
» Lengthy delays before announcing the results of African elections are commonplace (the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, Zimbabwe last July, etc.). It just means that people voted the wrong way, and the government needs time to re-arrange the results before publishing them. Postponing the vote at the last moment is much less common, and not so easy to explain.