Brett was educated in college of the University of Chicago, where he was smart enough to read some important books

and lucky enough to read them with some great teachers, including Leon Cass and others.

He quickly emerged as an interesting young journalist in mind, working at commentary, working at the international editions of the Wall Street Journal.

And at 28 became the editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.

After that, he was recruited back to the Wall Street Journal and for a number of years has been their foreign affairs columnist,

is now the Deputy Editorial Page Editor, and all joking aside, won in 2013 the Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

A little while ago, we published an important article in commentary on the new disorder in world affairs,

which is now on the verge of becoming an important book about America's retreat.

And first, I want to welcome you, Brett, before we plunge into the topic.

Thanks for being here.

It's great to have you.

Don't clap too early.

You don't know what he's going to say.

That's well said.

Let's just start with the heart of the book and the heart of the argument. What's the

case that America is in a new retreat? And what's the evidence for that argument?

Well, Eric, thank you for having me here. I have to say that my appearances with Tikva are always of a different order than my appearances at many other events.

For one thing, I'm typically more afraid of my audience at Tikva, not because they're unfriendly,

but because they are intellectually very serious. Also, Tikva has a way of pairing me with sort of really the great minds of the day,

not like me, the faux great minds of the day, but Moshe Halberthal and last year in this room,

Michael Walter. So I feel comparatively at ease next to you.

I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but I'll take it as a compliment.

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