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Military analyst, academic, columnist and author Dr. Gwynne Dyer delivered a well-attended lecture sponsored by the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the Wu Conference Centre at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) on March 25.

Dr. Dyer discussed the changed global order, emphasizing Canada’s need for a defence strategy that deters invasion without nuclear weapons.

He argued that Canada’s geographic isolation, once an asset, is now a liability and drew comparisons to European nations recently adjusting their military policies. Rather than large-scale military expansion, he advocated for making any invasion costly and unappealing.

“You need to push a lot of people through and make lots of light weapons available,” he said.

On Ukraine, Dr. Dyer said drones and modern surveillance have entrenched both sides and led to a stalemate reminiscent of the First World War.

He suggested each side may be waiting for political shifts to tip the balance. U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions have weakened NATO, he said, prompting European members to consider a new alliance without U.S. involvement.

He also discussed the Gaza conflict, arguing that both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas are using civilian deaths to advance political goals.

Dr. Dyer traced warfare to prehistory, noting humanity’s violent origins but highlighting the progress made in limiting war deaths since the Second World War. The unprecedented destruction of that conflict forced nations to take peace seriously.

“Ninety-eight per cent of the world is at peace right now. You’ll never find another time where that was true,” Dr. Dyer said, adding this made him “cautiously optimistic.”

The world must resist nuclear proliferation and uphold international law to protect the relative peace that exists. He cautioned that without these efforts, we could forget past lessons, increasing the risk of future conflicts on a catastrophic scale.

Dr. Lee Windsor, Fredrik S. Eaton Chair in Canadian Army Studies and co-director of The Brigadier Milton Gregg VC Centre for the Study of War and Society at the Gregg Centre, praised Dr. Dyer’s insights.

“Gwynne Dyer never fails to impress an audience with thought-provoking questions about the nature of war in the modern world. His 50-year career as an historian and author in the fields of warfare and the Middle East offers a long view of continuity and change in the global strategic balance,” said Dr. Windsor, who introduced Dr. Dyer.

For his part, Dr. Dyer offered a wry conclusion to his talk.

“We live in interesting times,” he said.