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It\u2019s Thanksgiving week here in the United States, and it\u2019s been my annual custom to offer up the things for which I\u2019m feeling particularly grateful. Like last year<\/a>, however, feeling thankful isn\u2019t as easy as I\u2019d like it to be. To be clear: I\u2019ve been extraordinarily blessed since birth, and I\u2019m grateful for all the favorable bounces I\u2019ve had. But in times like these, when it sometimes seems like events are spiraling downward and the worst people have more and more power and are using it just as badly as you\u2019d expect, it\u2019s especially important to take solace in whatever positive signs we can discern.<\/p>\n In that spirit, here are the top 10 things I\u2019m thankful for in 2025.<\/p>\n 1: The Gaza War Is Over (for Now).\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n All decent people should be grateful that the violence in Gaza has mostly ended, some extra relief aid is getting in, and there are least discussions going on about trying to rebuild there. I\u2019m thankful for that, and happy to give the Trump administration credit for showing that Uncle Sam did in fact have some leverage there. My thanks are tempered by the recognition that the ceasefire is barely holding, and far too many Gazans are still dying violent deaths<\/a>. Israeli predations on the West Bank<\/a> are continuing apace, and we are no closer to a lasting resolution to this conflict than we were before Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, 2023. But things aren\u2019t as awful as they were, and that\u2019s reason for thanks.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 2: The Bubble Hasn\u2019t Burst (Yet).\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not an economist, but I do know that market bubbles are only fully evident in the rearview mirror, and nobody can tell you ex ante when one will burst. It\u2019s possible that artificial intelligence and other related developments will enhance productivity by leaps and bounds and justify the hype and sky-high stock valuations. That said, there are a lot of worrisome signs out there besides stratospheric price-earnings ratios, including: the growing role of crypto; the amount of wealth sloshing around in shadow banks and other poorly regulated financial institutions; the Trump administration\u2019s all-too-public campaign to politicize the Federal Reserve; and the erratic nature of economic policymaking in the world\u2019s largest economy. Because a major economic crisis would immiserate millions of people (and not just because of what would do to many retirement plans), I\u2019m thankful the markets continue to defy gravity, and I hope that sentence still holds true by the time this column goes online. If the government wanted to make me truly grateful, it would fund the IRS properly so that more people pay the taxes they actually owe and redistribute more of these recent gains to the bottom 95%. If it needs to raise my taxes to do so, go right ahead\u2014as long as those plutocrats pay their fair share too.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 3: No New Pandemic.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Another dog that hasn\u2019t barked yet is the next pandemic. Given that we\u2019ve seen at least two big ones in the past 40 years (HIV\/AIDs and COVID-19) and several lesser epidemics, another is certain to happen eventually. It\u2019s good that it has held off for now, because the world (and especially the Trump administration) is even less prepared this time around than it was back when COVID hit. It\u2019s a truly puzzling phenomenon: Mishandling the COVID pandemic helped cost Trump the 2020 election (and yes, he did lose fair and square). But even though Operation Warp Speed was arguably his first administration\u2019s single greatest policy success, Trump is ignoring that achievement, and indulging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s crackpot ideas about vaccines and public health\u2014including letting him halt funding for research on mRNA vaccines<\/a> that could prove vital to beating the next pandemic. When you sit down around a crowded Thanksgiving table this year, be grateful that some dangerous new virus isn\u2019t forcing us to eat alone or wear masks again. Fingers crossed!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>4: The Trump Administration\u2014Surprise, Surprise!\u2014Is Incompetent.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n In fairness, I\u2019m deeply ambivalent about this one. Ideally, I\u2019d like all U.S. presidents and their closest aides to be highly competent people who know how to select desirable goals, set priorities, build support for their plans, and implement them effectively. I don\u2019t want the United States led by people who don\u2019t understand science, are inept prosecutors<\/a>, create turmoil in the agencies they are supposed to lead<\/a>, or are deeply corrupt. But when an administration is committed to implementing a lot of bad ideas and the president is trying to eliminate all checks on his power; appearing to call for his political opponents to be executed<\/a>; enriching himself<\/a>; and looking like he wants to hang on to power indefinitely, then I\u2019m glad to see the wheels coming off<\/a>. The only thing worse than an incompetent autocrat weakening the United States would be a highly skilled one pursuing those aims effectively. I\u2019m squinting a bit to see good news here, but right now I\u2019ll take whatever silver linings I can get.<\/p>\n 5: (Most) Other Countries Aren\u2019t Taking Advantage.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Given the disarray and distractions that Trump and his minions have sown in the Defense Department, the intelligence services, the State Department, and other key foreign policy institutions, I\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised that other countries haven\u2019t sought to take advantage of the United States\u2019 inept leaders. I mean, do you really think Pete Hegseth or Marco Rubio are up to handling a crisis with a powerful adversary, as opposed to going after failed states like Venezuela or unarmed boats in the Caribbean? To be fair, it could be that some potential foes are deterred by concerns about what a famously unpredictable president would do, and some potential adversaries (like China) are busy dealing with their own problems. But I suspect the main U.S. rivals are happy watching the United States make itself less popular abroad and enacting policies that will leave Americans less educated and united at home. They\u2019re following Napoleon\u2019s (supposed) dictum: \u201cNever interrupt an enemy when they are making a mistake.\u201d Still, I\u2019m glad China hasn\u2019t decided to stage a crisis over Taiwan or that Iran has decided to sprint for the bomb (as far as we know).<\/p>\n There are some exceptions here: A few states have taken advantage of the United States over the past year, and I\u2019m not thankful for that at all. By now, everyone has figured out that Trump can be flattered and bribed, and some states have the means to do both.\u00a0 Case in point: Saudi Arabia is taking advantage of Trump\u2019s cupidity and getting lots from the United States while offering little in return. I guess MAGA really stands for \u201cMake Arabia<\/em> Great Again.\u201d But taking advantage of Trump\u2019s poor deal-making hasn\u2019t led to war anywhere, and I suppose one can be grateful for that.<\/p>\n 6: A Public Shift on Israel.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Because I\u2019ve long believed that it would be better for the United States and Israel if the two states had a normal relationship rather than a \u201cspecial\u201d one (that is, one where the United States gives Israel generous and unconditional support), I\u2019m glad to see the U.S. public embracing that idea as well. The shift in U.S. public opinion has been breathtaking<\/a>, and it isn\u2019t likely to be reversed by more well-funded spin-doctoring by the Israeli government or its supporters in the United States. I\u2019m also glad that it\u2019s no longer a taboo to talk about the political role of the Israel lobby or its negative effects on U.S. policy both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that silver lining has been accompanied by a toxic cloud of genuine antisemitism, a phenomenon far more deeply entrenched on the political right than among progressives who opposed the Gaza genocide and are defending Palestinian rights. In addition to denying the Holocaust and sowing ethnic and religious hatred, bigots like Nick Fuentes do not understand (or perhaps do not care) that pro-Israel interest groups are defined by their political positions, not by their religion or ethnicity, and that what they are doing is typical interest group politics\u2014even if its effects are negative. The Israel lobby in the United States includes Christians, African Americans, and yes, some U.S. Jews, but its most prominent critics are an equally diverse lot and includes many U.S. Jews as well. Thus, antisemites who blame Jews for the errors of U.S. Middle East policy\u2014instead of criticizing the specific individuals or groups who have contributed to these mistakes\u2014aren\u2019t genuinely interested in advancing U.S. interests or promoting Middle East peace; they\u2019re just hate-mongering. Even worse, their efforts will make it harder, not easier, to help beleaguered Palestinians or steer U.S. policy in a more sensible direction. Although I\u2019m thankful that debates about U.S. Middle East policy have become more open, no sensible person should be pleased to see the likes of Fuentes taking advantage of that space to spew their dangerous nonsense.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>7. Men and Women of Courage and Principle.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n A lot of powerful people and institutions threatened by a predatory president have bent the knee, and most of them now look both craven and short-sighted. They didn\u2019t realize that extortionists rarely stop with one demand. Fortunately, more far-sighted and courageous individuals have stood up to the bullying and for that I\u2019m grateful. I\u2019m talking about the university presidents<\/a> (including Harvard\u2019s) who understand what academic freedom means, and former military officers and government officials who blew whistles and\/or resigned rather than do illegal or unwise things. That goes for ordinary Americans defending their streets in places like Portland, Oregon, but also patriotic dissidents all over the world and heroic journalists in dangerous places keeping the rest of us informed, often at great personal risk. For those of us whose worst nightmare might be a bad book review, these acts of resolve and principle are awe-inspiring. They are also essential to the preservation of liberty where it still exists, and to its future existence where it is lacking.<\/p>\n 8: Civic Engagement.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n And while I\u2019m on the subject, I\u2019ve also been heartened by the outpouring of civic engagement over the past year, sparked by the recognition that U.S. democracy is imperiled and that our current institutions and some of the politicians within them are doing a poor job of defending it. Not only have we seen some surprising electoral outcomes (Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York was not on my bingo card), but we\u2019ve also seen large peaceful demonstrations (like the \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies<\/a>), along with creative efforts to oppose authoritarian overreach by making fun of it (like those protesters in Portland wearing inflatable frog costumes). Turns out there\u2019s still some genuine grassroots energy in support of liberal democracy\u2014precisely the sort of civic virtue the Founding Fathers saw as essential. Last November, I had my doubts about whether that commitment still existed, and I\u2019m thankful to have been proven wrong.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>9. Writers and Thinkers and Entertainers.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n As someone who is privileged to enjoy the life of the mind (and get paid for it), I\u2019m always thankful to those writers and thinkers who have informed, inspired, amused, enlightened, and challenged me over the past year. Here\u2019s a quick shout-out to a few of them: Paul Krugman<\/a>, Jennifer Lind<\/a>, Henry Farrell<\/a>, Mustafa Suleyman<\/a>, Edward Luce<\/a>, Andrew Preston<\/a>, Nils Gilman<\/a>, Monica Duffy Toft and Sidita Kushi<\/a>, Mark L. Haas<\/a>, Greg Mitchell<\/a>, Marc Trachtenberg<\/a>, David French<\/a>, and Jessica Valenti<\/a>, to name just a few.<\/p>\n And because man does not live by scholarship and political commentary alone, I\u2019m thankful for those fiction writers who entertained me when I wasn\u2019t working, in books ranging from the profound and moving to the purely fun. A special hat tip to Abraham Verghese<\/a>, Curtis Sittenfeld<\/a>, the late P.D. James<\/a>, Alison Elspach<\/a>, Michael Chabon<\/a>, and the always amusing Carl Hiaasen<\/a>. I got a lot of pleasure this past year from the over-performing Red Sox (\u201cJust wait \u2018til next year!\u201d), the thrilling rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the chance to celebrate my birthday at Wimbledon, and more movies and streaming series than I should admit to watching. (Andor <\/em>was terrific).<\/p>\n