Acclaimed independent journalist, author and documentarian Gwynne Dyer will speak at Eastern Kentucky University on Thursday, Oct. 20, presenting “Don’t Panic: ISIS, Terrorism, and Today’s Middle East,” the same title as his most recent book.
Dyer’s lecture, free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the EKU Center for the Arts (changed from the original venue). It is part of the University’s year-long Chautauqua lecture series, “Order and Chaos.”
Dyer has been a writer and analyst of global affairs for 30 years. During his career, he has garnered widespread praise for his “trenchant tone and clear-eyed, nonpartisan approach” and his “encyclopedic knowledge of international affairs.” His first major book publication, “War,” is considered a classic in the field of the history of armed conflict. Dyer’s twice-weekly column has been published in more than 175 newspapers and 45 countries. He has also published many books that made the Toronto Globe and Mail’s nonfiction bestseller list in his native Canada. Among the bestsellers are “Crawling from the Wreckage” and “Ignorant Armies: Sliding into War in Iraq.”
In addition to Dyer’s impressive achievements as a writer, he has made several award-winning television and radio documentaries. His first televised documentary, a seven-part series titled “War,”featured an episode that was nominated for an Academy Award. Two subsequent televised documentaries, “The Human Race”and “Protection,” won Gemini awards. His award-winning radio documentaries include “The Gorbachev Revolution” and “Millennium.”
Dyer has received three degrees from Canadian, American, and British universities, including a Ph.D. in Military and Middle Eastern history from the University of London. He has also served in the naval reserves for all three countries where he earned degrees.
The Dyer lecture is sponsored by the Department of History, the Asian Studies Program, the Intelligence Studies Program, and EKU Honors.
For more information about the Chautauqua lecture series, visit www.chautauqua.eku.edu or contact Chautauqua Lecture Coordinator Erik Liddell at erik.liddell@eku.edu.