Editing Nicholas Kristof (section)

==Opinion and stances==
===Iraq War===
Kristof was opposed to the [[Iraq War]] and grew further opposed as time went on. In a column published on January 28, 2003, he summarized his position by writing, "If we were confident that we could oust [[Saddam]] with minimal casualties and quickly establish a democratic [[Iraq]], then that would be fine -- and such a happy scenario is conceivable. But it's a mistake to invade countries based on best-case scenarios."<ref name="query.nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/opinion/iraq-war-the-first-question.html|title=Iraq War: The First Question|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas|date=January 28, 2003|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145211/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/opinion/iraq-war-the-first-question.html|archive-date=September 23, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> He continued, "Frankly, it seems a bad idea to sacrifice our troops' lives -- along with billions of dollars -- in a way that may add to our vulnerability."<ref name="first-question">{{cite news|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas D.|date=January 28, 2003|title=Iraq War: The First Question|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/opinion/iraq-war-the-first-question.html|url-status=live|access-date=October 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007070351/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/opinion/iraq-war-the-first-question.html|archive-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref>

Kristof was criticized at the time for reporting that Iraqis opposed an American invasion. [[Andrew Sullivan]] was among Kristof's critics but in 2018, on the 15th anniversary of the war, apologized to Kristof in a tweet.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=sullydish|last=Sullivan|first=Andrew|number=976553998554681346|title=I remain ashamed, have apologized many times, have produced an e-book, detailing my errors, "I Was Wrong", and all of this remains on my conscience. A personal apology to you, Nick.|date=March 21, 2018}}</ref>

In a column published on August 27, 2002, "Wimps on Iraq", he wrote "To us the existing Iraq debate seems largely beside the point; the real issue isn't whether we want to overthrow Saddam, but what price we would have to pay to get the job done."<ref name="query.nytimes.com" /> He concludes, after detailing five practical concerns about invading Iraq, "So if Mr. Bush were really addressing these concerns, weighing them and then concluding that on balance it's worth an invasion, I'd be reassured. But instead it looks as if the president, intoxicated by moral clarity, has decided that whatever the cost, whatever the risks, he will invade Iraq."<ref name="query.nytimes.com" /> In the same column, he wrote, "President Bush has convinced me that there is no philosophical reason we should not overthrow the Iraqi government, given that Iraqis themselves would be better off, along with the rest of the world. But Mr. Bush has not overcome some practical concerns about an invasion."<ref name="query.nytimes.com" />

In the column "The Day After" in September 2002, Kristof wrote, "In one Shiite city after another, expect battles between rebels and army units, periodic calls for an Iranian-style theocracy, and perhaps a drift toward civil war. For the last few days, I've been traveling in these Shiite cities—[[Karbala]], [[Najaf]] and [[Basra]]—and the tension in the bazaars is thicker than the dust behind the donkey carts. So before we rush into Iraq, we need to think through what we will do the morning after Saddam is toppled. Do we send in troops to try to seize the mortars and machine guns from the warring factions? Or do we run from civil war, and risk letting Iran cultivate its own puppet regime?"<ref name="The-Day-After">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/24/opinion/the-day-after.html|title=The Day After|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas|date=September 24, 2002|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=October 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008080528/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/24/opinion/the-day-after.html|archive-date=October 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On May 6, 2003, less than two months into the war, Kristof published the op-ed column "Missing in Action: Truth" in which he questioned whether the intelligence gathered by the Bush administration, which purportedly indicated that Saddam Hussein possessed [[weapons of mass destruction]], was either faked or manipulated. In this article, Kristof cited as his source a "former ambassador" who had traveled to [[Niger]] in early 2002 and reported to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) and the State Department that the uranium "allegations were unequivocally wrong and based on forged documents". Kristof added, "The envoy's debunking of the forgery was passed around the administration and seemed to be accepted—except that President Bush and the State Department kept citing it anyway."<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |title=Why Truth Matters |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/05/06/nyt.kristof/ |work=[[The New York Times]] via [[CNN]] |date=May 6, 2003 |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061202155023/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/05/06/nyt.kristof/ |archive-date=December 2, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Two months later, former Ambassador [[Joseph C. Wilson IV]] came forward publicly and published a now-famous op-ed in ''The New York Times'', "What I Didn't Find in Africa."<ref>{{cite news|first=Joseph C. |last=Wilson |author-link=Joseph C. Wilson |title=What I Didn't Find in Africa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.html?ex=1372824000&en=6c6aeb1ce960dec0&ei=5007 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 6, 2003 |access-date=March 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118105823/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.html?ex=1372824000&en=6c6aeb1ce960dec0&ei=5007 |archive-date=November 18, 2007 }}</ref> This set off a series of events which resulted in what become known as "[[Plamegate]]", the disclosure by the journalist [[Robert Novak]] of the until-then covert status as a CIA officer of Wilson's wife, [[Valerie Plame Wilson]]. A criminal investigation was launched as to the source of the leak, as a consequence of which [[Scooter Libby|I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby]], then-Chief of Staff to Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], was indicted on obstruction of justice, false statement, and perjury charges and subsequently convicted and sentenced to 30&nbsp;months in federal prison and a $250,000 fine though he never served time in prison because President Bush commuted his prison sentence. Kristof's May 6 article was mentioned in the federal indictment of Libby as a key point in time and a contributing factor that caused Libby to inquire about the identity of the "envoy" and later to divulge the secret identity of his wife to reporters.<ref>{{cite press release |title=White House Official I. Lewis Libby Indicted on Obstruction of Justice, False Statement and Perjury Charges Relating to Leak of Classified Information Revealing CIA Officer's Identity |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]] Office of Special Counsel |date=October 28, 2005 |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_pr_28102005.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205195038/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_pr_28102005.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==="Grand bargain" with Iran===
Kristof published several articles criticizing the missed opportunity of the "grand bargain", a proposal by [[Iran]] to normalize relations with the United States, implement procedures to assure the US it will not develop nuclear weapons, deny any monetary support to Palestinian resistance groups until they agree to stop targeting civilians, support the [[Arab Peace Initiative]], and ensure full transparency to assuage any US concerns. In return, the Iranians demanded abolition of sanctions and a US statement that Iran does not belong in the so-called "Axis of Evil". In his columns, Kristof revealed the documents detailing the "grand bargain" proposal and argued that it was killed by hardliners in the Bush administration.

According to Kristof, that was an "appalling mistake"<ref name=iran2>{{cite news |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |title=Diplomacy at Its Worst |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/opinion/29kristof.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 29, 2007 |access-date=March 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530064632/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/opinion/29kristof.html |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> since "the Iranian proposal was promising and certainly should have been followed up. It seems diplomatic mismanagement of the highest order for the Bush administration to have rejected that process out of hand, and now to be instead beating the drums of war and considering air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites."<ref name=iran>{{cite news |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |title=Iran's Proposal for a 'Grand Bargain' |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/28/irans-proposal-for-a-grand-bargain/ |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 28, 2007 |access-date=July 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725115143/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/28/irans-proposal-for-a-grand-bargain/ |archive-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kristof further believes that even if the grand bargain is not currently feasible, there is still an option for what he calls a "mini-bargain", a more modest proposal for normalizing American-Iranian relations.<ref name=iran/>

===Anthrax attacks columns===
On October 12, 2001, ''Times'' reporter [[Judith Miller]] became one of several victims of [[2001 anthrax attacks|alleged anthrax attacks]].<ref>David Barstow (Oct. 13, 2001), [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/nyregion/a-nation-challenged-the-incidents-anthrax-found-in-nbc-news-aide.html l "A NATION CHALLENGED: THE INCIDENTS; Anthrax Found in NBC News Aide"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028073909/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/nyregion/a-nation-challenged-the-incidents-anthrax-found-in-nbc-news-aide.html |date=October 28, 2018}}, ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Judith Miller (Oct. 14, 2001), [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/14/us/a-nation-challenged-the-letter-fear-hits-newsroom-in-a-cloud-of-powder.html "A NATION CHALLENGED: THE LETTER; Fear Hits Newsroom In a Cloud of Powder"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106192202/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/14/us/a-nation-challenged-the-letter-fear-hits-newsroom-in-a-cloud-of-powder.html |date=November 6, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref> The book ''[[Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War]]'', which Miller had co-written with two other ''Times'' staffers, had been published ten days earlier on October 2.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Judith|last1=Miller|first2=Stephen|last2=Engelberg|first3=William J.|last3=Broad|title=Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War|url=https://archive.org/details/germsbiologicalw00mill|url-access=registration|quote=Osama.|date=October 2, 2001|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-87159-2}}</ref> It became a top [[New York Times Non-Fiction Bestsellers of 2001|''New York Times'' bestseller]] a few weeks later.<ref name="hawes">{{cite web|url=http://www.hawes.com/2001/2001-11-04.pdf|title=The New York Times Best Seller List|date=November 4, 2001|publisher=hawes.com|page=2|access-date=2009-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028033857/http://www.hawes.com/2001/2001-11-04.pdf|archive-date=October 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Its cover art depicted a white envelope like those used in the anthrax incidents. The text, written before the [[September 11 attacks]], made reference to [[jihadist]] [[terrorists]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Judith|last1=Miller|first2=Stephen|last2=Engelberg|first3=William J.|last3=Broad|title=Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSxF5IFIOoEC&q=Osama|date=October 2, 2001|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-87159-2|page=138|access-date=October 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505085112/https://books.google.com/books?id=pSxF5IFIOoEC&q=Osama|archive-date=May 5, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, Kristof wrote a series of columns<ref>Nicholas Kristof (Jan. 4, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/04/opinion/profile-of-a-killer.html "Profile of A Killer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210601/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/04/opinion/profile-of-a-killer.html |date=November 6, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Nicholas Kristof (May 24, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/24/opinion/connecting-deadly-dots.html "Connecting Deadly Dots"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029031106/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/24/opinion/connecting-deadly-dots.html |date=October 29, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref> indirectly suggesting that [[Steven Hatfill]], a former U.S. Army [[bioweapons|germ-warfare]] researcher named as a "[[person of interest]]" by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] might be a "likely culprit"<ref>Nicholas Kristof (July 2, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/opinion/anthrax-the-fbi-yawns.html "Anthrax? The F.B.I. Yawns"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029030734/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/02/opinion/anthrax-the-fbi-yawns.html |date=October 29, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Nicholas Kristof (July 12, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/12/opinion/the-anthrax-files.html "The Anthrax Files"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028112221/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/12/opinion/the-anthrax-files.html |date=October 28, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref> in the anthrax attacks.<ref>Nicholas Kristof (July 19, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/19/opinion/case-of-the-missing-anthrax-files.html "Case of the Missing Anthrax"], ''The New York Times''</ref><ref>Nicholas Kristof (Aug. 13, 2002), [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/13/opinion/the-anthrax-files.html "The Anthrax Files"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029031129/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/13/opinion/the-anthrax-files.html |date=October 29, 2018 }}, ''The New York Times''</ref> Hatfill was never charged with any crime. In July 2004, Hatfill sued the ''Times'' and Kristof for [[libel]], claiming [[defamation]] and [[intentional infliction of emotional distress]].<ref name=suit>{{cite news |first=Jerry |last=Markon |title=Former Army Scientist Sues New York Times, Columnist |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47994-2004Jul13.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 14, 2004 |access-date=March 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808191936/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47994-2004Jul13.html |archive-date=August 8, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently, Hatfill voluntarily dismissed Kristof as a defendant in the case when it became clear that the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia|U.S. District Court]] in [[Alexandria, Virginia]], lacked [[personal jurisdiction]] over Kristof. The suit continued against the ''Times'' itself but was dismissed in 2004 on the basis that allegations within Kristof's articles did not constitute defamation though they appeared untrue.

The [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit|appeals court]] reversed the lower court ruling in 2005, reinstating Hatfill's suit against the ''Times.''<ref>[https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/791150/steven-j-hatfill-v-the-new-york-times-company-and-nicholas-kristof/ "Steven J. Hatfill v. The New York Times Company, and Nicholas Kristof, 416 F.3d 320"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502032309/https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/791150/steven-j-hatfill-v-the-new-york-times-company-and-nicholas-kristof/ |date=May 2, 2020 }}, CourtListener.com</ref> In January 2007, Presiding Judge [[Claude M. Hilton]] again dismissed the suit and ruled that Kristof's anthrax articles were "cautiously worded" and asserted that the scientist may perhaps be innocent.<ref name=hatfill>{{cite news |first1=Jerry |last1=Markon |first2=Allan |last2=Lenger |title=Judge Explains Tossing Out Suit Against N.Y. Times |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020101699_pf.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 2, 2007 |access-date=March 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107093338/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020101699_pf.html |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Judge Hilton wrote that Kristof "made efforts to avoid implicating his guilt" and that "Mr. Kristof reminded readers to assume plaintiff's innocence."<ref name=hatfill/> Kristof praised the dismissal of the suit, commenting that he was "really pleased that the judge recognized the importance of this kind of reporting" and that it was "terrific to have a judgment that protects journalism at a time when the press has had a fair number of rulings against it".<ref name=hatfill/> After the case was dismissed in 2007, the dismissal was upheld by the Appeals Court. In 2008, the case was appealed to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], which refused to grant [[certiorari]] in the case and effectively left the Appeals Court decision in place. The basis for the dismissal was that Hatfill was a "public figure" and had not proved malice on the part of the ''Times''.<ref>Kathleen Cullinan (Dec. 15, 2008), [https://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/supreme-court-wont-hear-hatfills-libel-suit "Supreme Court won't hear Hatfill's libel suit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029030850/https://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news/supreme-court-wont-hear-hatfills-libel-suit |date=October 29, 2018 }}, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press</ref>

===Sudan and Darfur===
Kristof is particularly well known for his reporting on [[Sudan]]. At the beginning of 2004, he was among the first reporters to visit [[Darfur]] and describe "the most vicious [[ethnic cleansing]] you've never heard of." He recounted what he called "a campaign of murder, rape and pillage by Sudan" and was among the first to call it [[genocide]]. His biography says that he has made 11 trips to the region, some illegally by sneaking in from [[Chad]], and on at least one occasion, he was detained at a checkpoint when the authorities seized his interpreter and Kristof refused to leave him behind.

Kristof's reporting from Sudan has been both praised and criticized. Robert DeVecchi, past president of the [[International Rescue Committee]], told the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]: "Nicholas Kristof... had an unprecedented impact in single-handedly mobilizing world attention to this crisis. There are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of refugees in and from the Darfur region who owe their very lives to this formidable humanitarian and journalist."<ref>Robert DeVecchi, introduction to Nicholas Kristof, Council on Foreign Relations, April 2004</ref> New York Magazine said that Kristof "single-handedly focused the world's attention on Darfur",<ref>"The Influentials: Media, ''New York'', May 8, 2006</ref> and the Save Darfur Coalition said that "he is the person most responsible for getting this issue into America's consciousness and the resulting efforts to resolve it."<ref>Save Darfur Coalition statement by David Rubenstein, April 18, 2006</ref> [[Samantha Power]], the author of ''[[A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide]]'', the Pulitzer Prize-winning book on genocide, told an [[American Jewish World Service]] audience that Kristof was probably the person the [[Janjaweed]] militia in Darfur most wanted to kill. In June 2008, the actress [[Mia Farrow]] spoke as Kristof was honored with the Anne Frank Award by declaring: "Nick Kristof was one of the first to publicly insist that the words Never Again mean something for the people of Darfur. For his courage and his conviction in telling tell searing truths, he is the voice of our collective conscience, demanding we bear witness to the first genocide of the 21st century and encouraging us not to sit by while innocents die. Every once in a great while a moral giant appears among us. Nicholas Kristof is that person." For his coverage of Darfur, [[Ann Curry]] of [[NBC]] suggested that Kristof was "the modern journalist who showed courage and leadership comparable to the great [[Edward R. Murrow]]."<ref>{{cite web|author=Curry, Ann | title=Curry Commentary, Gutsy Reporting | url=https://www.today.com/news/curry-commentary-gutsy-reporting-wbna11199306 |date=March 20, 2006|access-date=March 16, 2010}}</ref>

On the other hand, some commentators have criticized Kristof for focusing on atrocities by [[Arab]] militias in Darfur and downplaying atrocities by non-Arab militias. A book by Mahmood Mamdani of Columbia University, "Saviors and Survivors", criticized Kristof's reporting for oversimplifying a complex historically-rooted conflict and packaging it as "genocide". Others, including some critical of Sudan, have sometimes made similar arguments. The Sudanese government has also objected that Kristof's reporting exaggerates the scale of suffering and ignores the nuances of tribal conflicts in Darfur. The Sudan government and pro-government news media criticized him in March 2012 for sneaking into Sudan's [[Nuba Mountains]] region without a visa to report on hunger and bombings there by saying that his illegal entry was "shameful and improper".<ref>{{cite web|work=Sudan Vision|title=When a Congressman Violates the Law|url=http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=207589|date=March 11, 2012|access-date=March 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511222658/http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=207589|archive-date=May 11, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

More broadly, Kristof's critics have accused him of promoting a "white knight" or "white savior" complex, where his journalism and activism are framed in a way that centers Western interventions as the solution to global problems, rather than empowering local communities to address their own issues. This approach, some argue, reinforces harmful stereotypes and undermines the agency of those Kristof aims to represent.<ref name="slate.com">{{cite magazine |last1=Hess |first1=Amanda |date=June 19, 2014 |title=The White Knight |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/06/nicholas-kristof-wants-to-save-the-world-with-his-new-york-times-columns-why-are-so-many-of-them-wrong.html |magazine=Slate}}</ref>

===Criticism of anti-sweatshop movement===
Nicholas Kristof argues that [[sweatshop]]s are, if not a good thing, defensible as a way for workers to improve their lives and for impoverished countries to transform themselves into industrial economies. In his argument, sweatshops are an unpleasant but necessary stage in industrial development. Kristof is critical of the way "well-meaning American university students regularly campaign against sweatshops", particularly the [[anti-sweatshop movement]]'s strategy of encouraging consumer boycotts against sweatshop-produced imports. Kristof and WuDunn counter that the sweatshop model is a primary reason that Taiwan and South Korea, which accepted sweatshops as the price of development, are today modern countries with low rates of infant mortality and high levels of education, but India, which has generally resisted sweatshops, suffers from a high rate of [[infant mortality]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |author2=WuDunn, Sheryl |author-link2=Sheryl WuDunn |title=Two Cheers for Sweatshops: They're dirty and dangerous. They're also a major reason Asia is back on track |url=https://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000924mag-sweatshops.html |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |date=September 24, 2000 |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423063301/http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000924mag-sweatshops.html |archive-date=April 23, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> Kristof and WuDunn admit that sweatshop labor is grueling and dangerous but argue that it is an improvement over most alternatives in extremely poor countries by providing much-needed jobs and boosting economies. They caution that anti-sweatshop boycott campaigns could lead to the closing down of manufacturing and processing plants in places like Africa, where they are needed most. "This is not to praise sweatshops", they admit:

<blockquote>Some managers are brutal in the way they house workers in firetraps, expose children to dangerous chemicals, deny bathroom breaks, demand sexual favors, force people to work double shifts or dismiss anyone who tries to organize a union. Agitation for improved safety conditions can be helpful, just as it was in 19th-century Europe. But Asian workers would be aghast at the idea of American consumers boycotting certain toys or clothing in protest. The simplest way to help the poorest Asians would be to buy more from sweatshops, not less.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |title=In Praise of the Maligned Sweatshop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/opinion/06kristof.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 6, 2006 |access-date=October 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126074256/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/opinion/06kristof.html |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Israeli–Palestinian conflict ===
Kristof supports Israeli and US negotiation with [[Hamas]] as a means to resolve the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]. He criticizes Israel for what he views as [[collective punishment]] of [[Gaza Strip|Gazans]] and holds that the lack of negotiations only strengthens extremists.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/opinion/19kristof.html Strengthening Extremists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009202241/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/opinion/19kristof.html |date=October 9, 2016}} by Nicholas D. Kristof, ''The New York Times'', June 19, 2008.</ref> He also advocates removing [[Israeli settlement]]s from [[Hebron]] since "the financial cost is mind-boggling, and the diplomatic cost is greater". Kristof contrasts "two Israels": an oppressive [[security state]] in the [[Palestinian territories]] and a "paragon of justice, decency, fairness – and peace", in the work of Israeli human rights activists, journalists, and jurists.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/opinion/22kristof.html The Two Israels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208141218/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/opinion/22kristof.html |date=February 8, 2017 }} by Nicholas D. Kristof, ''The New York Times'', June 22, 2008.</ref>

=== Libya ===
During the [[2011 Libyan civil war]], Kristof remarked that the US should create a [[no-fly zone]] and also use military aircraft to [[radio jamming|jam]] Libyan state communications: "let's remember the risks of inaction – and not psych ourselves out. For crying out loud!"<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/opinion/10kristof.html?_r=1 |work=The New York Times |first=Nicholas D. |last=Kristof |title=The Case for a No-Fly Zone Over Libya |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118143440/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/opinion/10kristof.html?_r=1 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== US government ===
In a column published in ''The New York Times'' on June 15, 2011, Kristof argued that the [[US military]] was a prime example of how a comprehensive [[social safety net]], [[universal health care]], a commitment to [[public services|public service]], low [[income disparity]], and structured planning could be made to work within an organization. He then suggested that the military could serve as a model for improving [[American society]] along those lines.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/opinion/16kristof.html?_r=2&emc=eta1 | work=The New York Times | first=Nicholas D. | last=Kristof | title=Our Lefty Military | date=June 15, 2011 | access-date=February 11, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217083211/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/opinion/16kristof.html?_r=2&emc=eta1 | archive-date=February 17, 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> This brought criticism from several other commentators, who argued that the military is effective at what it does only by severely limiting the [[political freedom|freedom]] of its members. [[Jonah Goldberg]] argued, "You've got to love how a system that requires total loyalty, curbs free speech, free association, freedom of movement, etc., is now either 'lefty' or 'liberal' because it gives 'free' healthcare and daycare", and he hinted that the ideas in Kristof's column resembled [[fascism]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/269793/maybe-nick-kristof-took-starship-troopers-beach-jonah-goldberg | work=[[National Review]] | first=Jonah | last=Goldberg | author-link=Jonah Goldberg | title=Maybe Nick Kristof Took Starship Troopers to the Beach? | date=June 16, 2011 | access-date=June 20, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619022523/http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/269793/maybe-nick-kristof-took-starship-troopers-beach-jonah-goldberg | archive-date=June 19, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[David A. French|David French]] added, "If you want to see the military do what it does best, then ride out on a mission with an armored cavalry squadron. If you want to see the military struggle to do its job well, then I suggest you spend some time with its social services."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/269856/re-nick-kristof-and-starship-troopers-david-french | work=National Review | first=David | last=French | title=Re: Nick Kristof and Starship Troopers | date=June 16, 2011 | access-date=June 20, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007175139/http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/269856/re-nick-kristof-and-starship-troopers-david-french | archive-date=October 7, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Education reform ===
In a 2021 ''New York Times'' essay, Kristof wrote that he favors education reform more than [[teachers' union]]s do. He suggests that unions sometimes encourage teachers to accept low wages in return for job security. Instead, Kristof advocates that teachers give up some protections in exchange for receiving much higher average starting salaries.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last=Kristof |first=Nicholas |date=February 26, 2021 |title=Kristof Newsletter |url=https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=1&campaign_id=45&emc=edit_nk_20210227&instance_id=27557&nl=nicholas-kristof&productCode=NK&regi_id=45616064&segment_id=52449&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2Fcff2474f-d46e-57b6-917e-153e07d4fc51&user_id=1a77b4fbad71f2e7ae52d97f062d4192 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kristof |first=Nicholas |date=March 12, 2011 |title=Pay Teachers More |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/opinion/13kristof.html |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>Teaching is predominantly female occupation world wide and in the US. See, for example C. Emily Feistritzer, "Profile of Teachers in the US, 2011", published on the website of the [http://www.ncei.com/about.html National Center for Educational Information.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730143756/http://www.ncei.com/about.html|date=July 30, 2012}} Teachers' unions were typically initially organized around the issue of combating discrimination against, and summary dismissal of pregnant teachers.</ref> He says that despite his disagreements with unions on some issues, "I roll my eyes" at what he calls a conservative narrative that unions are the fundamental problem in K-12 education. States with the best schools, like [[Massachusetts]], have strong teachers' unions, while those with the worst education outcomes, like [[South Carolina]], have weak or non-existent unions, he wrote.<ref name=":1" />

===Flame retardants and chemical reform===
Kristof has written several articles on the controversial use of [[flame retardants]] in furniture,<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/kristof-danger-lurks-in-that-mickey-mouse-couch.html?ref=opinion&_r=0|work=The New York Times|title=Danger Lurks in that Mickey Mouse Couch.|date=November 24, 2013|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213195842/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/kristof-danger-lurks-in-that-mickey-mouse-couch.html?ref=opinion&_r=0|archive-date=February 13, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Are you safe on that Sofa">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/opinion/sunday/kristof-are-you-safe-on-that-sofa.html|work=The New York Times|title=Are you safe on that Sofa?|date=May 19, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121001737/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/opinion/sunday/kristof-are-you-safe-on-that-sofa.html|archive-date=November 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/flame-retardants-and-our-political-mess/|work=The New York Times|title=Flame Retardants and Our Political Mess|date=May 19, 2013|access-date=November 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104110512/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/flame-retardants-and-our-political-mess/|archive-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/opinion/kristof-this-is-your-brain-on-toxins.html|work=The New York Times|title=This Is Your Brain on Toxins|date=October 16, 2013|access-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422144748/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/opinion/kristof-this-is-your-brain-on-toxins.html|archive-date=April 22, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> most recently in the November 2013 piece "Danger Lurks in that Mickey Mouse Couch". Kristof argues that legislative mandates of flame retardants in furniture are a result of powerfully-influential lobbyists representing the chemical industry. He claims that flame retardants are ineffective in saving lives but pose an increasingly evident public health risk to both families and firefighters. In his words, "These flame retardants represent a dizzying corporate scandal. It's a story of corporate greed, deceit and skulduggery."<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

In 2012, Kristof went as far as to write that flame retardants in furniture are "a case study of everything that is wrong with money politics".<ref name="Are you safe on that Sofa"/> He concluded the article "Are You Safe On That Sofa?" by arguing that the United States needs not only safer couches but also a political system less distorted by what he calls "toxic money".

Kristof's stances on flame retardants have come under fire from the chemical industry, which calls his op-eds "overdramatic" and "misleading".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.americanchemistry.com/2013/10/whats-missing-from-nick-kristofs-latest-column/|work=American Chemistry|title=Whats missing from Nick Kristof's Latest Column|date=October 17, 2013|access-date=November 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022332/http://blog.americanchemistry.com/2013/10/whats-missing-from-nick-kristofs-latest-column/|archive-date=December 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.americanchemistry.com/2013/11/new-york-times-columnist-and-new-docudrama-mislead-public-on-importance-of-flame-retardants-strong-fire-safety-standards/|work=American Chemistry|title=New York Times columnist and new docudrama mislead public on importance of flame retardants, strong fire safety standards|date=November 23, 2013|access-date=November 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127203440/http://blog.americanchemistry.com/2013/11/new-york-times-columnist-and-new-docudrama-mislead-public-on-importance-of-flame-retardants-strong-fire-safety-standards/|archive-date=November 27, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Child pornography and nonconsensual pornography===
On December 4, 2020, Kristof published a lengthy look at the website [[Pornhub]] and at its parent company, [[MindGeek]].<ref name="NYT_opinion">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html|title=Opinion {{pipe}} The Children of Pornhub|first=Nicholas|last=Kristof|date=December 4, 2020|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Kristof examined how Pornhub routinely has pornographic content on its site involving minors, and he wrote about how Pornhub's reviewers often have to make judgment calls on whether the user-submitted pornographic videos feature underage performers and whether the videos depict individuals engaging in nonconsensual sex. Kristof's article included interviews with underage victims who have appeared in videos on Pornhub that were submitted by people who filmed them, in some cases while being raped, and he reported that several such victims had attempted [[suicide]]. Pornhub denied Kristof's claims by calling them "irresponsible and flagrantly untrue".<ref name="Montreal Gazzette pornhub">{{Cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/business/local-business/trudeau-extremely-concerned-after-n-y-times-columnist-criticizes-montreals-pornhub|title=N.Y. Times exposé on Montreal's Pornhub leaves Trudeau 'extremely concerned'|newspaper=Montreal Gazette}}</ref> Kristof implored political leaders in [[Canada]], where MindGeek is based, to consider why Canada hosts a website that profits off videos featuring rape and children.<ref name="NYT_opinion" /> In response, on December 4 Canada Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] told reporters outside his residence: "We are always extremely concerned with gender-based violence, with exploitation of minors, with child pornography."<ref name="Montreal Gazzette pornhub" />

After [[MasterCard]], [[Visa Inc.|Visa]], and [[Discover Financial|Discover]] banned payments to MindGeek-owned sites based on Kristof's report, several commentators argued that Kristof's solution impacted the many legal consensual sex workers who rely on MindGeek sites for income.<ref name="VICE_Tech">{{Cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/sex-workers-what-visa-and-mastercard-dropping-pornhub-means-to-performers/|title=War Against Sex Workers: What Visa and Mastercard Dropping Pornhub Means to Performers|first=Samantha|last=Cole|date=December 11, 2020|newspaper=VICE}}</ref> [[Sex Workers Outreach Project USA]] provided a statement on December 11, 2020 that asserted that "the damage they do does not impact the labor as much as it affects the laborers who depend on the Pornhub platform to earn a living. Because of this decision, based on fiction and conflated reports regarding the presence of minors being assaulted on its platform, many sex workers will be forced even further into the margins."<ref name="SWAP_Statement">{{Cite web|url=https://www.swopbehindbars.org/2020/12/11/swop-behind-bars-statement-regarding-pornhub-being-banned-from-accepting-visa-and-mastercard/|title=SWOP Behind Bars Statement Regarding Pornhub being Banned from Accepting Visa and Mastercard|first=Alex|last=Andrews|date=December 11, 2020|agency=SWOP}}</ref> [[Sarah T. Roberts]] described the campaign targeting Pornhub as "strangely punitive and uniquely puritanical in an American way."<ref name="NBC Business">{{cite news |last1=Solon |first1=Olivia |title=Pornhub crackdown by credit card companies cuts off sex workers' livelihoods |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/pornhub-crackdown-credit-card-companies-cuts-sex-workers-livelihoods-n1251246 |access-date=15 December 2020 |date=December 15, 2020|agency=NBC}}</ref>

In a follow-up article on April 16, 2021, "Why Do We Let Corporations Profit From Rape Videos", Kristof provided an update and shared the story of a woman in [[Alberta]] who had been drugged and raped by her ex-husband, who later posted a video of the assault on Pornhub. The video was viewed by more than 200,000 people, and in her interview with Kristof, the woman shared she had attempted suicide. "How do you get your head around 200,000 guys masturbating as you're being assaulted?" she said.<ref name="Kristof">{{Cite news|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas|date=2021-04-16|title=Opinion {{!}} Why Do We Let Corporations Profit From Rape Videos?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/opinion/sunday/companies-online-rape-videos.html|access-date=2021-08-09|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Kristof also addressed some of the concerns raised by [[pro-sex]] work activists that he was [[anti-pornography]]. He remarked that "a starting point is to recognize that the issue is not pornography but child abuse and exploitation. We can be sex positive and exploitation negative."<ref name="Kristof"/>

=== Japan ===
Kristof served as The New York Times [[Tokyo]] bureau chief between 1995 and 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nicholas D. Kristof |url=https://www.weforum.org/people/nicholas-d-kristof/ |website=World Economic Forum}}</ref>

One of Kristof's articles questioned Japanese claims on the [[Senkaku Islands]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shaw |first=Han-yi |date=2012-09-19 |title=The Inconvenient Truth Behind the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/the-inconvenient-truth-behind-the-diaoyusenkaku-islands/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=On the Ground |language=en}}</ref> prompting objections and protests from Japanese officials, who contested the idea that the islands were seized from China in 1895 as spoils of war.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-10-03 |title=NYタイムズに反論 日本総領事館、尖閣記事巡り投稿 |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASGM03036_T01C12A0EB1000/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=日本経済新聞 |language=ja}}</ref>

===Political party===
Kristof is a self-described [[progressivism in the United States|progressive]] and a registered member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1974, a front-page article in the ''[[News-Register (McMinnville)|News-Register (McMinnville, Oregon)]]'' reported on Kristof's activism in Democratic politics throughout high school with the headline "Nicholas Gets into Politics Early".<ref>{{Cite news|date=1974|title=Nicholas Gets into Politics Early|work=McMinnville News-Register|url=https://newsregister.com}}</ref> He has attributed many of his progressive views to his mother, Jane Kristof, who formerly served as treasurer of the Yamhill County Democratic Central Committee and currently serves as both her precinct committee-person and the coordinator of the Yamhill County Democratic Think Tank.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kristof|first=Jane|title=Candidate Filing|url=https://www.co.yamhill.or.us/sites/default/files/Kristof_SEL%20105_0.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Yamhill County Democrats - Home {{!}} Get Involved {{!}} McMinnville, Oregon|url=https://www.ycdemocrats.org/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Yamhill County Democ|language=en}}</ref> In 2011, President [[Barack Obama]] hosted Kristof and his wife, [[Sheryl WuDunn]], at the State Dinner for [[Hu Jintao]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=State Dinner for Hu Jintao: The Guest List|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-dinner-for-hu-jintao-the-guest-list/|access-date=2021-08-09|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=January 19, 2011 |language=en-US}}</ref>