Category Archives: Minority Rule

A fresh wave of hard-right populism is stalking Europe

In Germany, the AfD are weaponising climate change

The Economist — Sep 14th 2023
A spectre is haunting Europe: the spectre of a rising hard right. In Germany the overtly xenophobic Alternative for Germany (afd) has surged to become the country’s second-most popular party.
Its success is polarising domestic politics and it seems poised to triumph in state elections in the east next year. In Poland the ruling Law and Justice party is leading the polls ahead of a general election on October 15th, and it is being drawn further to the right by an extreme new party, Confederation.

Continue reading A fresh wave of hard-right populism is stalking Europe

A Dyer Twofer: Thailand’s Struggles & Pope Francis’ s Mixed History

Thailand: The Last Rigged Election?

Lèse-majesté is the ‘crime’ of offending the dignity of the king, and these days it has gone out of fashion. In Britain, you can say anything you like about King Charles the Turd (as an Irish friend calls him), and no one turns a hair. But if you insult King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, you’re in deep trouble.

By Gwynne Dyer – September 4, 2023

Credits: Unsplash; Author: @jay_5;

Thailand’s Lèse-majesté law decrees specifies a jail term of up to fifteen years for insulting the king, and it is vigorously enforced. Every insult attracts a separate punishment, so the penalties pile up fast.

Continue reading A Dyer Twofer: Thailand’s Struggles & Pope Francis’ s Mixed History

Iran Marks Anniversary of 1953 CIA-Backed Coup

AP News: A CIA-backed 1953 coup in Iran haunts the country with people still trying to make sense of it

August 25, 2023
Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, 1953

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Seventy years after a CIAorchestrated coup toppled Irans prime minister, its legacy remains both contentious and complicated for the Islamic Republic as tensions stay high with the United States.

While highlighted as a symbol of Western imperialism by Irans theocracy, the coup unseating Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh — over Americas fears about a possible tilt toward the Soviet Union and the loss of Iranian crude oil — appeared backed at the time by the countrys leading Shiite clergy.

Continue reading Iran Marks Anniversary of 1953 CIA-Backed Coup

Dyer: Zimbabwe Election (With Updates)

Late Update, August 26, 2023:

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was reelected for a second and final fiveyear term late Saturday in results announced much earlier than expected following another troubled vote in the southern African country with a history of violent and disputed elections.

An opposition party spokesperson said within minutes of Mnangagwa being declared the winner that they would reject the results as “hastily assembled without proper verification.”

Mnangagwas victory meant the ZANUPF party retained the governmental leadership it has held for all 43 years of Zimbabwes history since the nation was renamed following independence from white minority rule in 1980.

Zimbabwe has had just two leaders in that time, longruling autocrat Robert Mugabe and Mnangagwa.

Background: Zimbabwe and the ‘Ruling Party Syndrome’

Gwynne Dyer — August 21 2023

Emmerson Mnangagwa -Zimbabwe

“No-one will stop us from ruling this country. You will be lost if you don’t vote for ZANU-PF,” said President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe. A bit more arrogant than the usual election pitch in most parts of the world, perhaps, but not unusual in Zimbabwe, one of the southern African countries suffering from ‘ruling party syndrome’. Continue reading Dyer: Zimbabwe Election (With Updates)

Rogues’ Gallery? Nine More Atlanta Mugshots — Now Out on (Blog) Bond

Mark Meadows

Mark Meadows was on the infamous call — detailed in the indictment — in which Trump urged state election officials to find the votes he’d need to win. Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, also traveled to Georgia at one point to try and gain access to a state audit of absentee ballot envelopes. Meadows faces two felony counts in the indictment. Meadows is charged with racketeering and soliciting a violation of an oath by a public officer.

Continue reading Rogues’ Gallery? Nine More Atlanta Mugshots — Now Out on (Blog) Bond