War, Close-Up and Big Picture: A Lecture by Gwynne Dyer

SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement acknowledges the unceded traditional territories including, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, on which SFU Vancouver is located.

The war in Ukraine came as a shock because it was so stupid. How could the Russians think they could just drive some tanks down the freeway to Kyiv, fly in some troops to a local airport, and capture or kill the whole government – when the Ukrainians had had eight years to prepare since the previous invasion? The ‘special military operation’ was almost certain to fail.

However, the war in Ukraine is not a unique event. It gives us a standpoint from which we can look at war as a whole. Where did it come from? How did it evolve into the different kinds of war people fight nowadays?

Ending war is at least a hundred-year project. It’s not looking that healthy at the moment.

Following Gwynne's lecture, respondent Svitlana Matviyenko from SFU's School of Communication will speak in conversation with Gwynne about the war in Ukraine, amongst other related topics.

About the Speakers

Gwynne Dyer, speaker

Gwynne Dyer has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for most of his adult life, but he was originally trained as a historian. He was born in Newfoundland and received degrees from Canadian, American and British universities, finishing with a Ph.D. in Military and Middle Eastern History from the University of London. He served in three navies and held academic appointments at the Canadian Forces College, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford University before launching his twice-weekly column on international affairs, which is published in more than 20 countries.

Dyer has written numerous books, such as ‘War’ (1983), ‘Ignorant Armies: Sliding into War in Iraq’ (2003), and ‘The Shortest History of War’. His first television series, the 7-part documentary 'War', was aired in 45 countries in the mid-80's. One episode, 'The Profession of Arms', was nominated for an Academy Award.

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