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Bret Stephens

Bret Stephens

The Age

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Socialists are on the rise. We’ve seen this movie before

Socialists are on the rise. We’ve seen this movie before

Ideas that older voters know have long been discredited (“America first” among conservatives; socialism among progressives) can seem fresh and...

previous day 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Iran can have an economy or a nuclear program. It can’t have both

The US cannot bring about regime change in Iran. But it can do what it can to tilt the scales in favour of the millions of disaffected Iranians who...

15.04.2026 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Trump and Netanyahu are doing the free world a favour

The US is stronger when anti-American dictators have solid reasons to fear our wrath: It restores deterrence and, in doing so, makes diplomacy more...

02.03.2026 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Jimmy Lai and the future of freedom

Human rights issues typified by cases such as the media mogul’s are not distractions from more important business. They are the important business.

15.02.2026 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Will Newsom be the Democrats’ next mistake?

Democrats should be careful whom they crush on. Gavin Newsom’s record as governor of California is a Republican strategist’s perfect foil.

04.02.2026 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

In Davos, Trump brings a spirit of fear

Donald Trump came to Davos, meaning to conquer Europe with his rhetoric. The result was fear.

24.01.2026 20

WA Today

Bret Stephens

In Davos, Trump brings a spirit of fear

Donald Trump came to Davos, meaning to conquer Europe with his rhetoric. The result was fear.

24.01.2026 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bret Stephens

In Davos, Trump brings a spirit of fear

Donald Trump came to Davos, meaning to conquer Europe with his rhetoric. The result was fear.

24.01.2026 40

The Age

Bret Stephens

In Davos, Trump brings a spirit of fear

Donald Trump came to Davos, meaning to conquer Europe with his rhetoric. The result was fear.

24.01.2026 10

Brisbane Times

Bret Stephens

Bondi Beach is what ‘globalise the intifada’ looks like

We will learn more about the mindset of Sunday’s killers. But it is already reasonable to surmise that they thought they were “globalising the...

15.12.2025 50

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Why New York City mayoral candidate Mamdani frightens Jews like me

The 34-year-old state assembly member stands out for his monomania, double standards and affinity for extremists, and his views are more than...

04.11.2025 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Israel fought to defeat an existential threat (and an existential lie)

The lie is that Israel is a settler-colonialist state, a nonnative invasive species that has no place in that land.

15.10.2025 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

What Israel should learn from two years of war

The only viable path to a sustainable Palestinian state is a cultural revolution among Palestinians that ends the fantasy of Israel’s destruction.

08.10.2025 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

After years of celebrating censorship, the left now cares about free speech again

Those on the left who have expressed horror at the suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel are often the same people who have previously called for...

25.09.2025 30

WA Today

Bret Stephens

After years of celebrating censorship, the left now cares about free speech again

Those on the left who have expressed horror at the suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel are often the same people who have previously called for...

25.09.2025 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bret Stephens

After years of celebrating censorship, the left now cares about free speech again

Those on the left who have expressed horror at the suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel are often the same people who have previously called for...

25.09.2025 50

The Age

Bret Stephens

After years of celebrating censorship, the left now cares about free speech again

Those on the left who have expressed horror at the suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel are often the same people who have previously called for...

25.09.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Bret Stephens

The West’s real tradition is debate, not division

Universities once taught students to engage with argument rather than denounce it. Now they cater for credential-seeking customers, with sometimes...

17.09.2025 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Gesture politics won’t help Palestinians

France, Canada and Australia aren’t aiming to do much to help actual Palestinians. Mainly, they seek to congratulate themselves.

10.09.2025 30

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

A decade on, this is what Merkel’s immigration disaster has created

The rise of right-wing parties across Europe, to say nothing of the US, shows that mass migration without express voter consent is politically...

03.09.2025 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Trump’s assault on capitalism has a surprising new victim

America was once a country in which the government stays out of the business of running businesses. Not any more.

27.08.2025 20

WA Today

Bret Stephens

Trump’s assault on capitalism has a surprising new victim

America was once a country in which the government stays out of the business of running businesses. Not any more.

27.08.2025 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bret Stephens

Trump’s assault on capitalism has a surprising new victim

America was once a country in which the government stays out of the business of running businesses. Not any more.

27.08.2025 10

The Age

Bret Stephens

Trump’s assault on capitalism has a surprising new victim

America was once a country in which the government stays out of the business of running businesses. Not any more.

27.08.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Bret Stephens

Where can Gaza go from here? There are 3 basic options

No thoughtful person can be pro-Palestinian without also being anti-Hamas.

06.08.2025 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Egads, Trump hasn’t fallen on his face. His presidency might even be a … success

It’s part luck that his bad policies didn’t turn out much worse. But Trump has also made good decisions and changed his mind when he needs to.

30.07.2025 9

WA Today

Bret Stephens

Egads, Trump hasn’t fallen on his face. His presidency might even be a … success

It’s part luck that his bad policies didn’t turn out much worse. But Trump has also made good decisions and changed his mind when he needs to.

30.07.2025 30

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bret Stephens

Egads, Trump hasn’t fallen on his face. His presidency might even be a … success

It’s part luck that his bad policies didn’t turn out much worse. But Trump has also made good decisions and changed his mind when he needs to.

30.07.2025 10

The Age

Bret Stephens

Egads, Trump hasn’t fallen on his face. His presidency might even be a … success

It’s part luck that his bad policies didn’t turn out much worse. But Trump has also made good decisions and changed his mind when he needs to.

30.07.2025 10

Brisbane Times

Bret Stephens

No, Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza

There is a difference between too many civilian deaths and the extermination of a category of people for no other reason than that they belong to that...

23.07.2025 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

There is no excusing Mamdani’s failure to condemn ‘intifada’

A candidate who refuses to condemn the phrase “globalise the intifada” isn’t participating in democratic debate; he’s giving moral comfort to...

02.07.2025 10

Financial Review

Bret Stephens

Why Trump’s Iran call was correct and courageous

No matter how one feels about this president and the rest of his policies, the decision to use force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons...

23.06.2025 20

Financial Review

Bret Stephens