New York Times columnist Bret Stephens is 49. It’s good news that he’s relatively young simply because it means readers will get to enjoy his unique insights and remarkable way with words for a long time to come.
It’s also good news in a global sense because his age signals that he’ll be around to retreat on his long-held stance that “China’s decline” born of demographics is “undeniable.” No doubt China could decline, but readers can rest assured that demographics (Stephens cites 9.56 million Chinese births in 2022 versus 10.41 million deaths) will not be the cause. Stephens contends that “China is increasingly likely to grow old before it gets rich” with the previous numbers informing his viewpoint, but the viewpoint ignores bigger truths about how we work that reject his pessimism.
Read Full Article »
