“The U.S. is much closer to getting involved in another Middle East war than most in Washington understand,” warns The Wall Street Journal’s Walter Russell Mead. Team Biden “failed to understand how weak the foundations of American power had become” and how far China, Russia, Iran and others “were willing to cooperate” to weaken “American hegemony.” Now Iran’s “march toward nuclear weapons,” and “its deepening partnership with Russia, is driving the Middle East steadily closer to a war.” Indeed, Vladimir Putin “could force Israel into a pre-emptive strike” simply “by increasing Iranian military capabilities.” The best hope: See that “our Middle East allies have the power to defend themselves” and “make it unmistakably clear that we will ensure our allies win should hostilities break out.”

“For decades, campus standards have been plummeting,” notes The Free Press’ Suzy Weiss, but with “kids doing college from their bedrooms and smartphones” and “the explosion of new technology” like ChatGPT, cheating is “practically unavoidable” even at elite institutions. Plus, it’s risky for profs “to report bad behavior”: “Student evaluations are treated like whiny but very important restaurant reviews,” as “the food (a.k.a. tuition, room, and board) costs upward of $70,000 per year.” And though most professors “grasp that the American campus has changed,” they, too, only want to “get ahead,” just like the cheating students. “Everything is up in the air” as we await our “future computer overlords.”

New York’s Medicaid program is heading for fiscal disaster in the near future, predicts the Empire Center’s Bill Hammond, because state lawmakers let spending spin out of control when times were flush — and are now at risk of “repeating that destructive cycle.” Given this looming fiscal “iceberg,” Albany “should be looking to tamp down Medicaid spending in this year’s budget, not pump it higher.” Any “strategic” increases in Medicaid outlays should “be accompanied by cost-cutting efforts in other parts of program.” And “a long-term strategy” should look “to shrink enrollment” in the program “by making commercial coverage more affordable and accessible.”

“An American presidency is never just about the president,” writes Michael Boskin at Project Syndicate, but also his political appointments — and “in this respect, Biden has failed to impress.” Consider major debacles, for instance, by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Homeland Security boss Alejandro Mayorkas. Biden’s “legislating has been similarly problematic.” And his claims, such as that he cut the deficit by a record $1.4 trillion, “are not even within hailing distance of reality.” That’s all cost him considerable “credibility,” a president’s “most valuable asset.” His main hope now “is for the GOP to renominate” Trump in 2024. But even then: “Trump led in a recent Harvard CAPS-Harris hypothetical matchup by 46% to 41%.”

If the “far less tolerant” professors who are now replacing older ones manage to destroy higher ed’s “core values,” universities may face a true crisis, frets Samuel J. Abrams at Reason. As the academy gets younger, it grows more “authoritarian,” per a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression survey of 1,400 professors. “Younger faculty report more acceptance of violence to combat speech,” with only 79% agreeing “it’s never acceptable for students to use violence” to stop campus speech, compared to 97% of older faculty. Only 37% of those 35 and under believe it’s never acceptable to shout down a speaker. “Illiberalism runs deep among young liberal faculty members, and their views regrettably resemble those of their students rather than their more senior peers.” Plus, faculty are “self-censoring at higher rates,” with 52% saying “they’re afraid they’ll lose their job or reputation over a misunderstanding.” “Students, trustees, donors, alumni, and the public must demand better from the faculty today before these young authoritarians run higher education tomorrow.”

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board