COLUMN ARCHIVE
Dyer Straight
Most recent stories
Sep. 27, 2012 / 884: Strangelove
Romney dishes contempt
Fancy dinner gives republican platform for hidden distain
Gwynne Dyer
It has always been hard for people with strong opinions to tolerate the discipline of electoral politics, which demands that they never speak their minds in public. Say… Read more »
Sep. 12, 2012 / 882: Down On The Farm
US foreign policy: the election barely matters
As the election looms, Romney's not offering much in the way of policy change
Gwynne Dyer
There was never going to be a big debate on US foreign policy at the Democratic National Convention. It will be whatever Barack Obama says it should be,… Read more »
Sep. 05, 2012 / 881: Sex 2012
Afghanistan: the underpants option
In preparation for NATO's departure in 2014, some type of victory is sought
Gwynne Dyer
"A defeatist position (in Afghanistan) is not possible for us. We cannot leave in our underpants ... or without any." That was Mikhail Gorbachev addressing senior Soviet officers… Read more »
Aug. 30, 2012 / 880: LP
Goodnight moon
Armstrong and Obama: the abandonment of the US manned space program
Gwynne Dyer
When the first man on the moon died on Saturday, President Barack Obama tweeted: "Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time."… Read more »
Aug. 22, 2012 / 879: Is The Party Over?
Mindless Massacre
Gwynne Dyer
Forty-eight hours after South African police killed 34 striking miners last Thursday (16 August), Julius Malema showed up at the Lonmin platinum mine north of Johannesburg to assign… Read more »
Aug. 08, 2012 / 877: Corb Your Enthusiasm
The power of mockery
Three girls successfully unmask the authoritarianism of Putin
Gwynne Dyer
How much do tyrants fear mockery? Consider the case of Belarus, often called "the last dictatorship in the heart of Europe," where President Alexander Lukashenko has just fired… Read more »
Aug. 01, 2012 / 876: The Art Of Serving
Enslaved by taxes
Governments are going after tax-evaders, big and small
Gwynne Dyer
One of the best tax-avoidance tactics in the late Roman Empire was to sell yourself into slavery. You didn't really have to work as somebody's slave, of course—it… Read more »
Aug. 01, 2012 / 876: The Art Of Serving
Enslaved by taxes
Governments are going after tax-evaders, big and small
Gwynne Dyer
One of the best tax-avoidance tactics in the late Roman Empire was to sell yourself into slavery. You didn't really have to work as somebody's slave, of course—it… Read more »
Jul. 25, 2012 / 875: Shout Out Out Out Out
Exposed minorities
A post-revolutionary Syria could be one of ethnic cleansing
Gwynne Dyer
In war, moral power is to physical as three parts out of four, said Napoleon, and the past few days have seen a sudden and drastic shift in… Read more »
Jul. 19, 2012 / 874: Musician’s Survival Guide: Songwriters on Songwriting
Good news from the Arab Spring
The West confuses religion for democracy while Arab countries make progress
Gwynne Dyer
The good news about last weekend's election in Libya, as relayed by the Western media, was that the "Islamists" were defeated and the Good Guys won. The real… Read more »
