author

 
 
 Gwynne Dyer

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Gwynne Dyer
Gwynne Dyer has worked as a journalist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years; his articles are published in 45 countries. His book, "Climate Wars," deals with the geopolitical implications of climate change and has been translated into Japanese, French, Russian, Chinese and a number of other languages.
For Gwynne Dyer's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 4, 2016
Whac-a-Mole sex slavery
As the recent Islamic State fatwa demonstrates, there's no end in sight to the sexual enslavement of women.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2015
A decent year for most people
For most people, in most places, 2015 has been a pretty good year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2015
The outcome of the Spanish election? Disarray
Spain is a perfectly reasonable country that has managed its democracy well for 40 years. Unfortunately, it may just have made itself ungovernable.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 8, 2015
Gene-drive technology carries promise, peril
Most powerful new technologies are double-edged, but gene drives can change or even wipe out entire species.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2015
In Maldives, politics, greed trump climate change
Few places are as threatened by climate change as the Maldives, but the current regime, which took over in a coup, is more interested in selling oil-drilling licenses than in saving the nation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2015
Erdogan aims to derail Russia-NATO alliance
Turkey has two aims: to see Assad ousted and to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state in Syria.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2015
A doomsday machine, or the next best thing
It was no accident that Russia leaked its plans to build an incredibly powerful nuclear weapon capable of laying waste to vast portions of the U.S. or China.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2015
Paris: Islamic State's strategy
Putting foreign ground troops into Syria would only make matters worse, so the least bad option for all countries concerned is to ride Islamic State's terrorist campaign out.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2015
Canada moves back to the middle of the road
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's core social and economic policies won't be radically different from those of Stephen Harper, but he'll be much nicer.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 14, 2015
Erdogan's war strategy may lead to his defeat
Turkish President Recep Erdogan's electoral strategy of creating an atmosphere of fear and impending calamity to rally voters behind his AK Party is backfiring.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2015
Is a Sino-U.S. war inevitable?
Out of the past 16 cases when one major power was gaining in power and its rival feared relegation to the second rank, 12 ended in war. Will China and the U.S. suffer the same fate?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2015
Catalonia's breakaway vote
Artur Mas, president of the regional government of Catalonia, is creating a crisis for Spain as he strives for independence.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2015
Is peace coming to Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin has achieved his aim in Ukraine, and both Petro Poroshenko and his Western supporters have tacitly accepted that freezing the current situation is the least bad outcome.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 24, 2015
Jez and Bernie both finding unlikely success
Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, two old-style left-wingers, have been surprising everyone with their recent successes.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2015
Is Russia coming to Syria's rescue?
A Russian move to save the Assad regime from defeat may be the only way to stop Syria from being taken over by extremists.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2015
Malaysia: Najib Razak in trouble
Malaysia's ruling party should be thinking hard about a successor to Prime Minister Naji Razak who will be acceptable to all the country's ethnic groups.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2015
Global economy is heading for a perfect storm
A perfect storm composed of three financial crises is poised to batter the global economy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2015
Mullah Omar: more trouble dead than alive
The Taliban's lies over two years that the notorious Mullah Muhammad Omar Mansoor was still alive will have widespread ramifications.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 5, 2015
Seven decades without a nuclear war
We cannot be sure that nuclear weapons never will be used in war again, but 70 years is an impressive start.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2015
Turkey joins the fight — sort of
Last Friday Turkey joined the war against Islamic State, but it's still playing a double game in Syria.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree