Jake Siewert

Bret Stephens: "New York Times" Op-Ed Columnist

Bret Stephens, Jake Siewert, Brett Stevens

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Brett Stevens, a former Jerusalem Post editor with a background in political philosophy, delivered a speech titled "The Dying Art of Disagreement" warning that political certitude and the erosion of free press threaten liberal democracy. Stevens critiqued the isolationist trends in U.S. foreign policy, condemned the Republican Party's failure to check executive overreach, and highlighted the dangers of media algorithms creating thought silos. He argued that healthy democracies require robust disagreement and contrarian voices, urging both journalists and voters to reject the toxic "certitudinousness" that fuels extremism and undermines global security.