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☆ Opinion | How Protesters Can Actually Help Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

So the question I would ask you to ask yourselves is: Are your encampments and sacrifices — more than 1,000 protesters have been arrested so far, and unknown numbers have been suspended or expelled — actually helping Gazans? I’ve been strongly criticizing Israel’s conduct in Gaza since last fall, and President Biden’s unconditional support for the war. A thought: Humility is an essential tool in persuasion (not that I always get this right!). The challenge is to take an unflinching moral stance while acknowledging that one may eventually be proved wrong. Holding onto that contradiction curbs the tendency toward self-righteousness and the impulse to shout down others — both of which have persuaded exactly zero people ever.

Persons: —, I’ve, Israel’s, Biden’s, don’t Organizations: Columbia Locations: Gaza, It’s, Rafah

Arm Ukraine With Fanfare and Israel in Secret? That package will pay for billions of dollars of arms flowing to Ukraine, Israel and other nations. As soon as the bill became law, the administration issued new announcements about weapons shipments to Ukraine, but not about transfers to Israel. Press releases about military aid for Ukraine and Israel Since both wars began, the U.S. government has issued at least 126 press statements or updates describing military aid sent to Ukraine and just three describing military aid sent to Israel. Information on maritime support sent to … Ukraine IsraelInformation on air-based weaponry and drones sent to … Ukraine IsraelThere is another distinction worth noting.

Persons: Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Antony Blinken, ”, Josh Paul, Israel —, Ukraine Israel “, Daniel C, it’s, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, Israel . Press, U.S . Department of State, U.S . Department of State ; U.S . Department of Defense, Internet, State Department, Defense Department, State and Defense, Washington Post, Ukraine authorizations, Democratic Party, West Bank, White, New York, Facebook Locations: Israel, Ukraine, U.S, U.S . Department of State ;, Ukraine Israel, Gaza, American, Egypt, Russian, Rafah, Lebanon, Iran, Iranian, Syria, United States

☆ Opinion | Joe Biden and the Israel-Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “How Joe Biden Lost His Way in Gaza,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, April 21):The masterful, balanced and well-reasoned column by Mr. Kristof, written not in anger but in deep sorrow, should serve as a warning to President Biden. In standing by Israel’s atrocious conduct of the war and letting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poke a finger in America’s eye, Mr. Biden not only cedes his moral standing but also risks destroying the unity of the Democratic Party; the possibility of a turbulent convention; and the loss of Michigan and the election to Donald Trump. One only hopes that he adopts a course that reduces the chance of any of these outcomes. Masood HaiderPrinceton Junction, N.J.To the Editor:The war started by Hamas is a test of whether a civilized world will accept Hamas’s barbaric tactics — including its atrocities on Oct. 7 and hiding its terrorists, arms and Israeli captives among and beneath a dense civilian population.

Persons: Joe Biden, Nicholas Kristof, Mr, Kristof, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Masood Haider Organizations: Democratic Party, Hamas Locations: Gaza, ”, Michigan, N.J

Their friendship was tested in 2017 when then President Trump supported a blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Before the Oct. 7 attack, the Saudis were in serious talks, led by the United States, to recognize Israel. 8 of 12 Israel has a major incentive to strengthen relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, for its part, would benefit from direct access to the Israeli military and technology sector. In March 2023, China brokered a breakthrough, re-establishing ties between two of the region’s heavyweights, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, brandished, Jake Sullivan, —, frenemies, Israel, Netanyahu’s, Trump, Biden, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin, Prince Mohammed, Bashar al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, Jordan —, hesitantly, Abraham Organizations: of Friends, General Assembly, U.S, America, Hamas, United, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Crown, Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, Iranian, Abraham Accords, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, The, Trump, Biden, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, New York, Facebook Locations: India, Persian, Israel, Europe, Iran, United States, U.S, East, China, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan, Sea Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia Turkey Syria Lebanon Afghanistan Israel Iraq Iran Pakistan Egypt India Qatar Saudi Arabia Arabian, Sudan Oman, Israel Yemen Ethiopia, Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Assad, Lebanon, Lebanese, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Fatah, Israeli, Turkey, America

☆ Gaza Is Biden’s War Now - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Darfur and Gaza are very different, of course, but I recall the senator’s compassion and urgency — and I wonder, where has that Joe Biden gone? Gaza has become the albatross around Biden’s neck. Consider just one example of America’s fingerprints on this war under Biden’s leadership. The International Rescue Committee says that the near-fatal strike was caused by a 1,000-pound American-made bomb, dropped from an American-made F-16 fighter jet. And when an American-made aircraft drops an American-made bomb on an American aid group in an American-supported war, how can that not come back to Biden?

Persons: Joe Biden, George W, Bush, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Organizations: International Rescue, Committee Locations: Darfur, China, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, United States, American

breeze liuI got a message from a friend of mine. She’s lobbied platforms to get them to stop linking to these sites and directing traffic to these sites. breeze liuI did ask Pornhub to take it down. nicholas kristofThe deepfake companies made a mistake in targeting Breeze because she is very savvy about technology, about Silicon Valley. breeze liuI decided to create my own solution because I run into wall everywhere I go.

Persons: nicholas kristof I’m Nicholas Kristof, I’m, ” We’ve, Biden, Donald Trump, nicholas kristof There’s, Taylor Swift, catalina marchant de abreu, it’s, nicholas kristof, liu, Liu, Breeze, you’re, they’re, there’s, Pornhub, wouldn’t Organizations: The New York Times Locations: New Hampshire, Silicon

☆ Opinion | Deep-Sixing Pornographic Deepfakes for Good
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Deepfake Violations, Met With a Shrug,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, March 24):Mr. Kristof underscores the urgent need to address the distressing prevalence of nonconsensual A.I. sexual content online and in top search engine results, to protect individuals, particularly the women and girls overwhelmingly targeted, from exploitation and harm. I urge all readers to raise their voices by sending letters, emails or open letters tagged on social media and LinkedIn to Google and Microsoft Bing executives and social media teams. Our collective advocacy can amplify the call for these tech giants to take proactive measures in removing such content from their search results. ‘After school, I came home, and I told my mom we need to do something about this.’

Persons: Nicholas Kristof, Mr, Kristof, Microsoft Bing, Brittany Poley, Nicholas Kristof’s, ’ Francesca, ‘, ’ Organizations: Google, Microsoft Locations: ”, Brittany, Brittany Poley Washington

☆ ‘Marriage Predicts Happiness Better than Education, Work and Money’ - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With little notice, the United States may be crossing a historic milestone in family structure, one that may shape our health, wealth and happiness. Historically, most American adults were married — more than two-thirds as recently as 1970. But the married share has crept downward, and today only about half of adults are married. And to be clear, it’s more of the former than the latter.”Wilcox believes that perhaps a third of today’s young Americans will never marry. Survey data indicates that married couples on average report more happiness, build more wealth, live longer and raise more successful children than single parents or cohabiting couples, though there are plenty of exceptions.

Persons: —, ” Brad Wilcox, “, ”, ” Wilcox, it’s Organizations: University of Virginia Locations: United States

☆ The Deepfake Porn of Kids and Celebrities That Gets Millions of Views - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alarms are blaring about artificial intelligence deepfakes that manipulate voters, like the robocall sounding like President Biden that went to New Hampshire households, or the fake video of Taylor Swift endorsing Donald Trump. Yet there’s actually a far bigger problem with deepfakes that we haven’t paid enough attention to: deepfake nude videos and photos that humiliate celebrities and unknown children alike. One recent study found that 98 percent of deepfake videos online were pornographic and that 99 percent of those targeted were women or girls. Francesca Mani, a 14-year-old high school sophomore in New Jersey, told me she was in class in October when the loudspeaker summoned her to the school office. The boys had made naked images of a number of other sophomore girls as well.

Persons: Biden, Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, there’s, influencers, Francesca Mani Organizations: Google Locations: New Hampshire, New Jersey

☆ Opinion | What Really Causes Poor Performance in School
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “We’re Not Battling the School Issues That Matter,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, March 7):I completely agree with Mr. Kristof’s column. The situation is serious, not only for education but also for our embattled democracy. I would like to add some nuance. I have been working on a state-by-state analysis of the possible influence of racism, specifically anti-Black racism, on educational achievement. Some students are in groups that are not likely to be taught to read effectively: Native Americans, children who are poor enough to be eligible for the National School Lunch Program and Black children.

Persons: Nicholas Kristof Locations: India

☆ Opinion | President Biden, You Have Leverage That Can Save Lives in Gaza. Please Use It.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden is sounding tougher toward Israel these days and showing more compassion for people starving in Gaza. So we’re now in a bizarre situation: American bombs and American aid are both falling from Gaza’s skies. In 1948, the United States and its allies undertook the famous Berlin Airlift to rescue West Berlin from a Soviet blockade. Israel is insisting on painstaking inspections of every aid truck going into Gaza. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley visited the Gaza border and found that Israel has blocked water purifiers.

Persons: Biden, ” Biden, it’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, we’re, Israel, Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley Organizations: Israel’s, UNICEF Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, United States, West Berlin, Soviet

☆ How Biden Can Out-Populist the Populist - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As Democrats puzzle over how President Biden can be so unpopular, it’s worth looking at the global context — because he’s actually doing better than most Western leaders. In the Morning Consult approval ratings for global leaders, Biden polls better than leaders in Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, France and Japan. Here in America, we often attribute Biden’s unpopularity to his age, and that’s certainly part of it. But youthful leaders abroad are even less popular: In Britain, people fault the 43-year-old prime minister, Rishi Sunak, for being “too inexperienced for these grim times,” as The New Statesman put it. So while there’s a far-right tide that may also swamp the United States, it’s not hopeless for Biden.

Persons: Biden, he’s, that’s, Rishi Sunak, Donald Trump, it’s Organizations: New Statesman Locations: Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, France, Japan, America, United States

☆ Opinion | Fighting Hopelessness in Treating Addiction
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thank you, Mr. Kristof, for digging into this crisis and for reporting on this program in Tulsa that has had so much success for women in recovery. My niece was certainly someone who may have survived if she had found a program like this. Instead, she was incarcerated for crimes associated with her drug use, and she found little if any help there. I can’t help wondering what if instead of locking her up, she had been compelled to enter a program like Women in Recovery. The writer is the author of “White Flag,” about her attempt to help her niece.

Persons: Nicholas Kristof, Kristof, Judy L, Mandel Newington, “ Locations: Tulsa, Conn

☆ The War in Gaza Told Through One Man’s Pain - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Biden weighs American policy toward Gaza, may he think of a gentle scholar named Mohammed Alshannat. Alshannat is a Palestinian in Gaza who at the start of the war was working remotely on his Ph.D. dissertation in linguistics for Rhodes University in South Africa. He is the opposite of Hamas, for in his writing he has criticized suicide bombings and rocket firings. I have been texting him during the war, but his main outside contact has been Lindsay Houghton, a fellow doctoral student at Rhodes. I have trimmed for length, but he wrote in English and these are his words:Oct. 11: The situation in Gaza is very grave.

Persons: Biden, Mohammed Alshannat, Lindsay Houghton, Houghton Organizations: Rhodes University, Rhodes Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, South Africa

☆ Opinion | The School Issues We’re Battling Over Aren’t the Ones That Matter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Florida school district, facing pressure about “nudity” in schools, removed from shelves a picture book that showed an illustration of a goblin’s bare bottom. Some students were saved from debauchery when school officials colored in a pair of pants on the goblin. “The freedom to read is under assault in the United States — particularly in public schools,” PEN America warned in a report last year. Listen to conservatives, and they argue that the crisis in American schools is the opposite: It’s about leftist teachers propagandizing on critical race theory and giving kids new pronouns while denying them safe bathrooms. Donald Trump has promised to defund “any school that’s pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity and any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.” He added: “This is what must be done to save our country from destruction.”

Persons: Donald Trump, defund, ” Organizations: ” PEN Locations: Florida, United States

☆ Opinion | Israel, Gaza and Double Standards, Including Our Own
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Does the West have a double standard when it comes to Israel, pouncing on everything it does with undue harshness? When he was challenged about the bloodshed in Gaza on “Face the Nation” last weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel responded, “What would America do” after something like the Oct. 7 Hamas attack? “Would you not be doing what Israel is doing? And the World Jewish Congress cites “criticizing Israeli defensive operations, but not those of other Western democracies” as an example of antisemitism. All this strikes me as both right and wrong, a fair point and a false one.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Rabbi Marvin Hier, “, Israel’s Organizations: The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Locations: Israel, Gaza, The Jerusalem, Germany, Japan

☆ Opinion | Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone With Travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “The Isolationism Antidote,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Feb. 11):I was surprised that in his column addressing the need for Americans to spend time abroad Mr. Kristof failed to mention the fact that the Peace Corps has been doing exactly that since 1961. In 2011, the Peace Corps celebrated its 50th anniversary, and for the occasion three other editors and I created four books of Peace Corps stories, now housed in the Library of Congress. This collection of more than 200 stories from the Americas, Africa, Eurasia and Asia/Pacific covers the range of joys, frustrations, surprises and sorrows that Peace Corps volunteers experience in the two years of service. I heartily agree with Mr. Kristof and would add that the Peace Corps has made a good start doing what he suggests. The writer served in the Peace Corps in India from 1967 to 1969.

Persons: Nicholas Kristof, Mr, Kristof, Jane Albritton, Nicholas Kristof’s Organizations: Peace Corps, of Congress, Corps Locations: Americas, Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Pacific, Jane Albritton Santa Fe, India

☆ What Navalny Can Teach Americans About Bravery - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Vladimir Putin’s Russia has just become even more bleak and soulless with the reported death in an Arctic prison of Aleksei Navalny, the 47-year-old dissident who showed immense bravery and humor as he tried to bring democracy to his homeland. Navalny’s strength, resilience and courage contrast with the fecklessness of so many Americans dealing with Putin. From Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson, a remarkable number of American leaders and their mouthpieces roll over before the Russian president. “Why do Trump and his congressional enablers want to further appease this Russian tyrant?” Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, asked after the news broke of Navalny’s death. I hope Navalny’s example will fortify Americans and Europeans alike, for despite all our resources we have not shown a sliver of the strength that he did.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Aleksei Navalny, Putin, Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Dick Durbin Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Russian, Illinois

☆ The Isolationism Antidote - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Why has the isolationist wing of Congress been blocking aid to Ukraine and become, in effect, a tool for President Vladimir Putin of Russia? Republican politics explain some of this folly, but I think another reason is pure cluelessness. Lack of familiarity with the world is, I think, one reason the United States periodically pursues self-destructive policies around the world. A second Trump presidency might entail even more consequential mistakes: pulling out of NATO, abandoning Ukraine, upending the post-World War II international system. Time spent abroad corrodes stereotypes (of the kind one hears these days about Israelis and Palestinians alike) and shores up our empathy by reminding us of our common humanity.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, George W, Bush, Trump Organizations: NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Congress, United States, Utah

☆ In Gaza, We Can’t Justify This Much Suffering - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a whip-smart 10-year-old girl in Gaza who speaks good English, displays a radiant smile and seemed to have a bright future. Instead, she’s lying in a hospital bed with a badly infected wound in her thigh from a bomb blast. “She was supposed to be in Japan,” said Dr. Samer Attar, an orthopedic surgeon who cared for the girl and told me about her. Dr. Attar said the girl needed an amputation at the hip to save her life. Her dad, struggling to come to terms with how his and his daughter’s lives have collapsed, is resisting for now.

Persons: There’s, ”, Samer Attar, Attar, Iraq —, Dr Organizations: Northwestern University School of Medicine, Rahma Locations: Gaza, Japan, Aleppo, Syria, Ukraine, Iraq

☆ A China-Taiwan war simulation that assumes a Trump return to office in 2025 warns that Taiwan would be 'toast'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A war game stimulated a conflict between Taiwan and China if Donald Trump became president in 2025. AdvertisementWhat would happen if tensions escalated between Taiwan and China in 2025 during a potential second Trump administration? One war game simulation suggested the conflict would be swift — and ended with a troubling omen for Taiwan. "Taiwan was toast," Alexander C. Huang, an international relations director for Taiwan's KMT political party, told The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof. In interviews, Trump has repeatedly refused to explicitly say if he would come to Taiwan's defense if China invaded.

Persons: Donald Trump, Taiwan couldn't, —, Trump, Alexander C, Huang, Nicholas Kristof, Kristof, Donald Trump's, Stanley Rosen, Rosen Organizations: Taiwan, Service, KMT, New York Times, The, Strategic, International Studies, Trump, University of Southern, China Institute Locations: Taiwan, China, America, Washington, DC, Japan, University of Southern California's US, Hong Kong

After failing to break into the cash register, Bill walked out of the store and drove off with his girlfriend. Gerhardt awoke and called 911, and an ambulance rushed her to a hospital, where she remained for three days. The police promptly caught Bill, still covered in Gerhardt’s blood. “I got lucky because I had a gun in the car, and I always carried it,” Bill told me. “That was one of the hardest things to go through,” Sue Buchholz, his stepmother, who raised him for most of his boyhood, told me.

Persons: Bill, Gerhardt, ”, “, ” Bill, ” Sue Buchholz, Buchholz

☆ Why North Korea Is Offering New Reasons to Worry - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The globe is already pockmarked with crises, and here may be another: North Korea is acting in highly unusual ways, leading some veteran analysts to fear it is preparing a surprise attack on South Korea and perhaps on Japan and Guam as well. I’ve seen many false alarms since I began covering and visiting North Korea in the 1980s. But one of those experts is Robert Carlin, who has been analyzing North Korea for 50 years for the C.I.A., State Department and other organizations. Carlin and Hecker published their warning in an essay on the 38 North website, which focuses on North Korea. They raised the possibility that North Korea might use its nuclear warheads to strike the region (it’s not clear if its warheads could reach the United States and survive re-entry into the atmosphere).

Persons: Kim Jong, Robert Carlin, Siegfried Hecker, Carlin, Hecker Organizations: State Department, Stanford, North Locations: North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Korea, United States

☆ Opinion | The Things We Disagree On About Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’ve been very critical of Israel’s counterattack on Gaza, which appears to have killed a woman or child about once every eight minutes for the past three months. Many of my readers and friends disagree with these columns and are pained by what they see as my unfairness toward Israel. Yes, Hamas started this war with its brutal attack on civilians, and it has been indifferent to Palestinian lives. Israel was understandably shattered by what happened on Oct. 7, and I appreciate that trauma and share that sadness. It’s too late to save those massacred on Oct. 7, but we can still try to reduce the toll in Gaza this month and this year.

Persons: I’ve, Israel, I’m aghast, Mao, It’s Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Kissinger’s Triumphs and Mistakes Offer Lessons - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I knew Kissinger only slightly (he worked to charm journalists, just as he believed in engaging other adversaries) but see lessons both in his accomplishments and in his catastrophes. He had a capacity to see around corners, perceive possibilities for change and then work tirelessly to achieve them. China early in the Nixon administration was isolated and chaotic, with Red Guards rampaging through the country. But Kissinger saw opportunity and nurtured it in ways that led to the unimaginable: a presidential visit and eventually normalization of relations and an explosion of trade. Russia felt sufficiently outmaneuvered that it then invited Nixon to Moscow and signed a landmark arms control agreement.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Prince Metternich’s, Nixon Organizations: Red Guards Locations: Europe, China, Russia, Moscow

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