Newsweek illustration/Getty Images
By Newsweek StaffShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberCW looks at President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, which has scrambled the diplomatic and military balance in Europe.
Vladimir Putin ⬆
The Russian president really does understand Trump’s peace-through-strength strategy. He’s focused on the strength part and let Trump take care of the peace. So far, it’s working for him.
Volodymyr Zelensky ⬆
The Ukrainian president has spent years playing a Churchillian figure on the world stage, defying tyranny with stirring words. Well, Winston Churchill probably knew that if his former business partner had allegedly skimmed $100 million off Lend-Lease, the Americans would have abandoned him too.
Marco Rubio ⬇
The secretary of state was forced at a conference to assure Europeans that his boss’ peace plan wasn’t drafted by the Kremlin. Do Russia hawks eat crow?
Steve Witkoff ⬆
Only the second New York real estate guy ever to make history by upending the geopolitical balance of both Europe and the Middle East. Eat your heart out, Jared Kushner!
The two Dons ⬅➡
Both are in limbo. Don, the mighty Russian river, may have its bitterly contested Donets tributary flow again entirely through Russian territory. Or it may not. Don Bacon, the pro-Ukraine Nebraska representative, may resign in protest at the peace plan, threatening the GOP house majority. Or he may not.
The other Don ⬅➡
Yes, there is another Don at the center of this drama. And there’s no telling whether this is another Gaza-style stroke of diplomatic genius that gets him closer to a Nobel Prize. Or another Kim Jong Un-style DMZ-crossing bromance that gets us nowhere. The president’s legacy on the future of Europe is in limbo.
Originally a staple of Newsweek's print edition, Conventional Wisdom used arrows to track whose stock was rising or falling in the political circus. We're reviving it in the digital age because the problem it lampooned—hyperbole and partisan certainty masquerading as insight—has only intensified.
CW assigns arrows—up, down, or sideways—to the figures and forces shaping current events. The arrows don't predict the future or claim special insight. They capture the prevailing winds of the moment, uncluttered by tribal howling. In an era when partisan media reinforces rather than questions assumptions, CW operates from the center—skeptical of left and right alike, committed to puncturing inflated reputations and recognizing overlooked truths.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
OpinionFormer White House Middle East Envoy: What We Keep Getting Wrong About the UAE and Sudan | Opinion5 min read
OpinionGovernment-Mandated Affordability—Music to Consumer Ears | Opinion6 min readOpinionConventional Wisdom: Ukraine Peace Plan Edition2 min read
OpinionFour Ways to Fight Trump’s Golden Age of Corruption | Opinion5 min read
OpinionThe Post-Shutdown Mandate—It’s Time for California to Lead | Opinion5 min read
OpinionDon’t Let Monopoly Utilities Kill Clean Consumer Choices | Opinion4 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
WorldTrump Peace Plan: Secret Russia Talks, Big Attacks Hit Ukraine—Live Updates2 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Trans Book Bans Often Backfire—On Their Creators5 min read
NewsUrgent Tornado Warning Issued as Severe Storms Threaten Mississippi, Louisiana: Live Updates1 min read
NewsTrump Canceling GDP Report Comes Under Scrutiny3 min read
WorldRepublican Says US ‘About to Go In’ to Venezuela, With Oil a Key Reason4 min read
NewsPam Bondi Reacts To Judge Tossing Comey, James’ Criminal Charges3 min readTrending
National Weather ServiceWinter Storm Alert Issued as 12 Inches of Snow Set To Hit3 min read
Higher EducationFull List of Degrees Not Classed As ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin8 min read
LawsuitCampbell’s Soup VP Mocks ‘Poor People’ Who Buy Its Food in Secret Recording6 min read
MoneyNew ‘Cash Law’ Could Change Grocery Store Rules3 min read
ThanksgivingHome Depot Responds to Thanksgiving Boycott5 min readOpinion
OpinionFormer White House Middle East Envoy: What We Keep Getting Wrong About the UAE and Sudan | Opinion5 min readOpinionGovernment-Mandated Affordability—Music to Consumer Ears | Opinion6 min readOpinionConventional Wisdom: Ukraine Peace Plan Edition2 min readOpinionFour Ways to Fight Trump’s Golden Age of Corruption | Opinion5 min readOpinionThe Post-Shutdown Mandate—It’s Time for California to Lead | Opinion5 min read
