'Why is the Pax Americana in decline?'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day


'The world no longer trusts U.S. promises'
Paul Krugman in The New York Times
"We may be witnessing the end of the Pax Americana," says Paul Krugman in The New York Times. Republicans say the era when U.S. power discouraged major wars is fading because President Biden is "projecting weakness." But the real reason is that the GOP's dysfunction has turned America into "a superpower without a fully functioning government," with right-wingers pushing to "betray Ukraine." Given this mess, "how much can any nation trust U.S. assurances of support?"
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'The more diversity, the merrier'
Rebecca Sugar in the Washington Examiner
The letter by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups blaming Israel for "Hamas' atrocious terrorist attack" was "stunning for its open display of moral inversion," says Rebecca Sugar in the Washington Examiner. "Perhaps we shouldn't be so shocked." This is what happens when schools let "identity politics and the Left's diversity" agenda turn campuses into controversy factories. "Rather than learning about serious civic engagement and leadership," students "divide themselves up into groups of 'us versus them.'"
'Opposition to abortion has cost Republicans'
Francis Wilkinson at Bloomberg
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Republicans are "having second thoughts" about their party's anti-abortion crusade, says Francis Wilkinson at Bloomberg. Arizona Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake, who "previously cheered for a 19th century Arizona law that criminalized abortion," is the latest Republican to join former President Donald Trump in softening her views as red state voters reject "abortion bans" conservative lawmakers long promised. Republicans want draconian restrictions "wherever the political price is not too high. Elsewhere, they'll dodge and duck."
'Just because we roll up the welcome mat, doesn't mean migrants will stay away'
Boston Herald editorial board
"We're all border states now," says the Boston Herald editorial board. States like Massachusetts and New York are learning the hard way what Texas has been saying all along, that President Biden's "porous border policies" are allowing a wave of migrants that is creating an unsustainable burden on shelters and social services. Democratic governors can't support Biden on immigration "now that they are facing the consequences. The challenge, and the task, is getting Biden to listen."
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
Why can't France hold on to its prime ministers?
Today's Big Question Spiralling debt, ageing population and cultural refusal to accept budget cuts – despite high welfare spending – have been turbocharged by Emmanuel Macron
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Trump threatens critics with federal charges
Feature Days after FBI agents raided John Bolton's home, Trump threatened legal action against Chris Christie
-
Hostile architecture is 'hostile — to everybody'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
The Secret Service is reportedly facing a massive sniper shortage
The Explainer The agency is reportedly dealing with a 73% shortage
-
'Total rat eradication in New York has been deemed impossible'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day