George Soros Has Enemies. He’s Fine With That.

Soros creates a "fantasy world" with every breath. He must, because he is dead without it. His big problem is that people caught on long ago. His "fantasy World has been shattered and shuttered.

Soros is a visionary. Based on all the negative comments from other readers it's clear that he's greatly misunderstood. He has a lot to teach. I suspect the term "globalism" is a real obstacle to dialogue. It has negative connotations, especially since the MAGA crowd is using it in negative contexts. Soros sees globalism as a network of free societies that are not authoritarian or repressive. These are open societies ruled by law and not by corporations. Of course, this is theory. In practice there's a lot of abuses. But nationalism is not the way to fix the problems of globalism.

“an integrated, global economy underpinned by the rule of law“ Good to read an even handed account of Soros. We’re learning every day how important keeping an open society can be. With the rule of law being transgressed as I write, Soros guess that we’re closing to turning back the current trend is hopeful.

Mr. Soros, in the end, will lose his battle to bring his globalist ideals to fruition. The American people are awakening to leftist tactics of pay-to-play, pay-to-say and play-along-to-get-along. Warren has no chance against 45 unless GS can bring down the US economy before the election and the opening of a criminal investigation of the origins of the Russia investigation hoax by AG Barr uncovers nothing incriminating. Neither are likely.

It is a complicated subject. Not everyone agrees that Soros has the answers even those who see a World Economy as a plus. It is interesting to me that both Soros and Trump see China as a problem but their egos prevent them from working together. I am Jewish and dislike Soros but not because he is a Jew. So his Antisemitism Claim is self-serving. I do not like Bolsheviks.

Globalism is great if you like being a slave to a couple of billionaires who own the government. I'll take the USA , the Constitution and Freedom,, thank you.

Georgie is a shrewd old man, like a crow sitting on the fence waiting for road kill so he doesn't have to spend much energy hunting. Soros loves chaos because it crashes currencies and gives him financial road kill. Look, for example, how Soros and the globalists parked themselves on the Ukrainian roadside fence like buzzards, waiting and watching for deep discounts after Putin invaded. Soros did NOTHING for Ukraine even though he stuck his nose in their business with flattering statements about Ukraine's sovereignty being crucial. I wonder how much Ukrainian currency the old man grabbed up when the Hryvna went from 8:1 against the dollar to 36:1 at one point. George Soros is just a roadside opportunist who imagines himself as some type of Socialist hero.

In the US has supported politicians who are essentially fascist. He has supported those who favor government control of the citizen.

good article but not very in-depth How is he bending the arc?

Andrew... you interviewed yet another elite.. and encouraged/repeated his views.. The Times is no more than an editorial board.. one editorial after another. Always the same story under a different guise. I am not interested in his political views. You should not be either....

The man who single handedly crashed the British Pound for his own personal gain is simply "a supporter of democracy" around the world. The man who is giving away hundreds of millions of dollars via debit cards to hundreds of thousands of African and Central American "refugees" (welfare migrants) is simply trying to help, out of the goodness of his heart. I feel pity for anyone who actually believes this nonsense, and loathing for those who know it to be false, but push it anyway. Soros has a deep hatred for Nationalism because he has a deep hatred for European peoples around the world. It is their countries alone which he is attempting to destroy.

As a Jew I am glad to finally see an article that does not imply that all criticism of Mr. Soros stems from hatred of Jews. It is impossible to deny that some criticism of him is rooted in anti-Semitism, but when the two are conflated it only feeds the conspiracy theories that hold the entirety of the Jewish people are responsible for globalism, and erases the intellectual contributions of Jewish thinkers who support strong sovereign nation states.

Per Soros Warren is most qualified to be president. If Warren is the most qualified we are in a deep hurt.

Soros may be a billionaire but claiming that Warren is the most qualified person to be president shows an amazing disconnect with reality. A left wing fanatic whose mantra is "we know what is best for you and to prove it will not only take away the private health insurance of 147 million Americans and raise taxes ( Bernie says) on the middle class at least $4-5,000 on just this of many plans alone, she is way out of the mainstream. Such an ideologue will never win the general election and, it appears, even be the nominee. Mayor Pete will prove that Soros is, once again, wrong.

It may be true that people are seeing the perils of isolationism and how it can lead to autocracy. Globalism caused great change in America, exacerbating wealth inequality and creating a huge culture clash. As a lefty, globalism needs to be tempered with the legitimate concerns of the middle and lower economic classes in western nations to be legitimate. Or else it risks becoming a global corporatocracy. The movements of Sanders and (god help us) Potus arose from this stew. Except that potus only ever intended his own enrichment and tyranny.

Thank you Andrew. I would love to have the full, unedited interview here as Soros is always someone to listen to. He is a brilliant man, though Open Societies has indeed acknowledged mistakes, for one underestimating the consequences of sudden migration from the Middle East to Europe. Soros' greater successes have been in futures markets. However, his statement on Warren is notable, though I really would like to know what he thinks about whether Warren would be effective in countering China, and what he thinks of Trump's efforts in doing the same. It seems that the U.S. could be much more outspoken on human rights in China and the fact that our systems of values differ so much, but in the past Democrats haven't done much either on this topic nor engaged properly on trade.

1) While we should respect the humanity of all people -- and insist our elites not prey on other countries -- the LAST thing we should want is a global government. As Edward Gibbon noted over 200 years ago, freedom is best maintained by a fragmented world with many independent nation states. So that if a tyrant arises in one nation, his victims can find refuge in other nations as those nations band together to oppose the tyrant's aggression. 2) But when ancient Rome formed a global empire, nowhere was safe for the Emperor's victims. Whether they froze on the banks of the Rhine River or wore gilded chains in the Senate. 3) Global tyranny did not bring peace either -- during her decline, the Roman Empire was constantly torn apart by civil wars as powerful men fought over who would succeed the aging emperor. 4) Plus the history of science shows that the progress of Science and Technology comes to a dead halt in such global empires. Tyrants and their bureaucrats do not like Schumpeterian disruption. Compare the little to no progress made by the Roman Empire and the Qing Dynasty over centuries to the achievements of the ancient Greeks -- even though Rome and Qing had far greater resources and population. 5) If Soros's cabal succeeds, there will be no way to overthrow their tyranny -- no German invaders or European sailors will come to rescue us. Unless the Klingtons or Vulcans show up, mankind will decline and die on this rock. Fermi's Paradox.

In no universe is George Soros a "philanthropist". All his wealth is directed to a variety of open or secret political organizations, all charged with advancing the globalist agenda through fair means or foul.

Soros is playing the cards he's holding. Putting his money where his mouth is, and not lying thru his teeth every time he opens said mouth.

Thank you Mr Soros. The world would have been a much bleaker place without you

Why do wealthy individuals think they know better than average people? And deserve therefore to call the shots?

Mr. Sorkin you said referring to Soros: “arc of history may soon turn back his way, that Mr. Trump’s election and Brexit were the NADIR of anti-globalism and that a backlash to that nationalism is coming.” I’m sure you meant that anti-globalism may have reached its ZENITH (it’s highest point) under Trump and Brexit not NADIR (it’s lowest point). And btw, it does seem that the above correction should as well apply to Mr. Soros, whose political views and economic theories have most definitely reached their nadirs.

There is an Italian phrase that might fit this case: " Molti nemici, molto onore" Many enemies, much honor. If you are not disturbing people, your activities are not significant.

Earth will be visited by ppl's from 24 separate civilizations ,July 2020. There will be a War. 1/3 0f humanity will remain at it's conclusion.

It’s a shame that the arc of justice doesn’t work well even for the most “enlightened“ democracies, and requires the intervention of uber-rich activist-philanthropists like Mr Soros.

"They are unanimous in their hate for me--and I welcome their hatred." FDR, 1936 ( the REAL Democrat)

Sadly, George Soros has enemies because humanity is still in the grip of the same irrational hatred that destroyed Europe when he was a child.  There seems to be some deeply ingrained instinct in people — fortunately not all people — that inclines them to behave like snarling dogs, capable of attacking others, even to the point of killing them for no reason other than unreasoning dislike.  Intellect in these folks doesn't seem to function, they are unreachable by truth.  Soros lived through this in Budapest during WWII, forced as a 13-year-old to deliver deportation notices to other Jewish families while protected by his father's changing the family surname and his own Aryan looks.  Soros saw all this firsthand, and he has spent all the years since, and the bulk of his fortune, in an effort to see that such things do not happen again.  How can sane people be other than grateful for his actions?  Yet, depressingly, there are those who would choose to go back into the dark.

George Soros is a force for good around the globe. The press in its magnificence has quoted negative stories and lies about him for decades rarely correcting itself. That the press continues to do the rights dirty work is shameful.

I was told by an echo chamber of angry voices led by some very rich men who say very hateful things, and espouse elitist ideologies, that George Soros is a very rich and hateful person, with elitist ideals and I will repeat those things even though I don’t know who the original source was or what the original context may have been...It’s a liberal conspiracy I tell ya! Also George Soros is not a nice guy, and if it were not the epitome of hypocrisy, there would be something to the more legitimate conservative criticism.

Mr Soros is correct in his views. Since the formation of society the desire for control has lead to disaster. Trump and Xi are examples. These leaders will not last. It may take several millennia and catastrophic events along the way to bend the arch of history but open boarders and free expression will prevail. The economy is far different than human needs for free expression and community.

I don't think Globalism per se is the problem. I think that the issue is that as Globalism lifted the economies around the world, those that benefited forgot about everyone else. We entered a new Guilded Age and those at the top said in essence to those at the bottom "Let them eat cake." They have reaped the same response as the French Nobility. The arrow of history is clearly towards more interconnections, but it must benefit everyone. So yes, have great new ideas, be successful, but bring everyone along with you. The measure of a truly successful person is not how much money, how many girlfriends, toys they have, but how many other people they have helped be successful as well. The same applies to entire societies. Do this voluntarily and you will have control over where your funding is directed. Resist and it will be stripped from you and some government bureaucrat will direct the funding.

United we stand... divided we fall! Do you see a world divided? America divided? Why? Does it surprise you that the same political divisions existed when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor? As a basic understanding of the true power and freedom that a constitutional republic brings, one must understand that a Republic must never engage in forcing one sides policies upon the other. The success or failure of any effort should not be decided by government but by the support or lack of support by the governed. Which is why I support a simplified tax code. Simple in that the calculation is easy, better because people filing their taxes can.... choose a side. Or choose which government programs they want their money used for. Absolute fairness. This is not one side imposing on the other. This is fairness.

I've followed Mr. Soros over the years, even tried reading one of his books, and found him to be so much more than a stereotypical capitalist. He's self-made and some may not agree with everything he has done to build his riches but to be sure if he hadn't profited then someone else would have in what is typically a zero-sum game of finance. For me, My Soros is a thoughtful humanitarian trying to make the world a fairer and better place. I wish we had many more like him, spending countless hours and self-funded with little if any financial reward but a big reward in doing good.

Let's not forget that during the Cold War Soros was supporting those who believed in freedom and democracy while Trump was helping Russian/Soviets launder money in his buildings. Soros continues to support those around the world who are fighting against authoritarians while Trump continues to be servile to Putin. Something wrong here..

I find Mr Soros' position to be incredibly naive. I understand that he believes in an "integrated global economy that is underpinned by the rule of law", but who sets that rule of law? His personal moral compass? His desire to maintain a certain amount of money as he donates some away? I look at the billionaires that fund the ONG's that shuttle illegal immigrants from the coast off Libya to Europe. Its a short sighted solution all around as you have now moved them from point A to point B with no long term plan, stressed a local government and not really changed the place where they originated from in a positive way. I do not really understand the mentality of these billionaires who attempt to appease their conscience to poorly thought out non profits and donations. They are nothing more than global chaos agents at the whims of a successful conservative or liberal capitalist.

Looking forward to his book. I was very impressed by the earlier "The Open Society and Its Enemies" by Karl Popper, one of Soros's inspirations. It seems Soros is right, that we can't rely on some innate historical trend towards justice: it's probably going to be an ongoing struggle. It's a good thing he's on our side.

Mr. Soros is ying to the Koch yang. Neither is good because a true democracy should not rest on the philosophies of billionaires. The truth is our democracy will be tainted until such time as all big money is taken out of politics. There are a number of ways to do it, but there is a severe shortage of desire.

I am very pleased that people like George Soros will use their money to support democracies and liberal politicians and social justice issues. I just wish more of the 0.1% of the wealthy would do the same. I applaud him for his courage in the face of those who voice unremitting hatred toward him.

Thank you for this wonderful piece on Mr. Soros. With all the conspiracy theories and other propaganda in the media about this honorable man, it’s great to hear directly from him.  May he have many more years in his fight against totalitarianism and the pursuit of freedom for all people.

Soros is considered a philanthropists for his many contributions to political and terrorist groups? He stokes upheavals and shorts markets profiting from the ensuing panics. I'm guessing he gets tremendous tax credits for this too. This is a greedy man who makes money from an unstable world.

It's funny to me that the left is driven ideologically by billionaire financiers and millionaire actors. I personally adhere to Tip O'Neill's quote "all politics is local." And if you're poor, it's even more local. In Michigan, they want to know ppb lead in their drinking water, not how to fully integrate Somalia into the world economy. I think everyone has a basic interest in social causes - but only the truly wealthy really have the ability to sit back with that view of Central Park, and contemplate how to save the world. Soros' basic needs are met. I bet he eats at nice restaurants and his biggest decisions center around which home to vacation in. Spending money on the environment is also a rich country's luxury. China and India and any other country trying to make economic strides could care less about their footprints. They want a job, healthcare, education. For their family. All politics is local.