Bret Stephens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bret Stephens
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Stephens in 2015
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Bret Louis Stephens
November 21, 1973 New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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Pamela Paul
(m. 1998, divorced)
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Bret Louis Stephens (born November 21, 1973) is an American conservative writer, journalist, and editor. He writes opinion columns for The New York Times and is a senior contributor for NBC News. Since 2021, he has also been the main editor of SAPIR: A Journal of Jewish Conversations.
Before joining The New York Times, Stephens was a foreign affairs writer and editor at The Wall Street Journal. He also worked as the editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post from 2002 to 2004. In 2013, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his writing at the Wall Street Journal. Stephens is known for his views on foreign policy and for being a conservative who did not support Donald Trump.
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Early Life and Education
Bret Stephens was born in New York City. His parents, Xenia and Charles J. Stephens, were both from Jewish families. His mother was born in Italy during World War II. His paternal grandfather, Louis Ehrlich, came from a place called Kishinev (now Chișinău, Moldova). He moved to New York with his family after a difficult event called the Kishinev pogrom and changed their last name to Stephens.
Louis Stephens later moved to Mexico City and started a chemical company. Bret's parents moved to Mexico City with him when he was a baby to help with the family business. Bret grew up there and speaks Spanish fluently. For high school, he went to a boarding school called Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts.
Stephens studied political philosophy at the University of Chicago. He then earned a master's degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics.
Personal Life
Bret Stephens is married to Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, who is a music critic for The New York Times. They have three children and live in New York City. He was previously married to Pamela Paul, who used to be the editor of The New York Times Book Review.
Journalism Career
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Stephens started his career in journalism in 1995 as an assistant editor at Commentary magazine.
In 1998, he joined The Wall Street Journal as an editor for opinion pieces. He also worked as a writer for The Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussels. There, he edited a weekly column about the European Union.
In 2002, Stephens moved to Israel to become the editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. He was 28 years old at the time. He said he moved because he felt that Western news was not accurately reporting on Israel. He wanted to help tell Israel's story correctly.
Stephens left The Jerusalem Post in 2004 and went back to The Wall Street Journal. In 2006, he began writing the Journal's "Global View" column.
In 2017, Stephens left the Journal and became an opinion columnist for The New York Times. He also started appearing on NBC News and MSNBC. In 2021, he became the editor-in-chief of SAPIR: A Journal of Jewish Conversations.
Awards and Recognition
In 2005, the World Economic Forum recognized Stephens as a Young Global Leader. He won the Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism in 2008 and the Bastiat Prize in 2010.
Stephens won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. He received this award for his insightful articles about American foreign policy and politics, which often offered a different point of view. He has also served as a judge for the Pulitzer Prizes twice. In 2016, he led the jury that awarded the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. In 2017, he chaired the jury for the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing.
In 2023, Stephens gave a speech at the University of Chicago. His invitation caused some discussion among student groups because of his views on Israel.
Published Works
Stephens has written several books. His book America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder was published in 2014. In this book, he argues that the United States has been stepping back from its role as a global leader, which he believes could lead to more problems in the world.
Political Views
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy is a major topic in Bret Stephens's writing. His views are often described as neoconservative. This means he believes that the U.S. should sometimes use military force to promote democracy and stability in other countries, especially in the Middle East.
For example, Stephens supported the 2003 Iraq War. He believed that Iraq posed a threat and that military action was necessary. He also strongly opposed the Iran nuclear deal, believing it was a very bad agreement. Stephens is also a strong supporter of Israel.
Climate Change
Stephens has been known for his skeptical views on climate change. He has called himself "agnostic" on the issue, meaning he is not sure about all the claims. He has suggested that some of the strong reactions to climate change are based more on belief than on science. He has also argued that focusing too much on climate change might distract from other important global issues.
His views on this topic have sometimes led to strong reactions, especially when he joined The New York Times. However, as of 2022, Stephens has stated that he accepts the reality of human-caused climate change after visiting Greenland with a climate scientist. He still believes that market solutions, rather than government actions, are the best way to address the problem.
Gun Rights
Stephens has a different view from many conservatives on the Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms. He has suggested that the Second Amendment should be changed, but he does not support a complete ban on gun ownership.
Donald Trump
During the 2016 United States presidential election, Bret Stephens was a strong critic of Donald Trump. He wrote many articles opposing Trump's campaign and continued to speak out against him after he became president. Stephens even compared Trump to an Italian dictator named Benito Mussolini. He argued that the same reasons Republicans used to try and remove President Bill Clinton from office should apply to Trump.
Published Works
- America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder (November 2014), ISBN: 978-1591846628
- Has Obama Made the World a More Dangerous Place?: The Munk Debate on U.S. Foreign Policy (August 2015), ISBN: 978-1770899964
- The Dying Art of Disagreement (December 2017), ISBN: 9780648018902
