Framing ethical perspectives
Democracy is a form of government in which political control is given to the people, whether directly or through the election of governing officials. Currently, large numbers of people have lost faith in this form of government and some elected officials have been working to dismantle democratic institutions. Our programs, events, and experts strive to better understand this alarming development.
Featured Democracy Resources
State of global democracy, U.S. global engagement, and more
JUN 9, 2021 • Podcast
Illiberal Democracy on the Rise: Examining Brazil, Hungary, & India
APR 19, 2022 • Podcast
Why Democracy vs. Autocracy Misses the Point, with Jean-Marie Guéhenno
Senior Fellow Anja Kapsersen is joined by Professor Jean-Marie Guéhenno for a conversation about virtual communities and the advent of the age of data.
FEB 23, 2024 • Article
What Do We Mean When We Talk About "AI Democratization"?
With numerous parties calling for "AI democratization," Elizabeth Seger, director of the CASM digital policy research hub at Demos, discusses four meanings of the term.
Related Initiatives
Ethics & International Affairs Journal
Ethics & International Affairs is the quarterly journal of Carnegie Council. It aims to close the gap between the theory and practice of ethics.
Explore Our Democracy Resources
SEP 16, 2019 • Podcast
The Crack-Up: The 1919 Race Riots & the Crucible of Chicago, with Adam Green
During the "Red Summer" of 1919 dozens of race riots flared up across the U.S., but the anti-African American violence in Chicago stood out because ...
AUG 23, 2019 • Article
The Ethics of Trade with China and Authoritarian Upgrading
Increased foreign investment and engagement is producing, not democratization, but "authoritarian upgrading," where selected reforms are designed to legitimize a softer authoritarianism. This presents an ...
AUG 22, 2019 • Podcast
The 2020 Election & the View from Overseas, with Nikolas Gvosdev
As the 2020 election begins to come into focus, Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev details the foreign policy cleavages in the Democratic Party. Plus, referencing Nahal Toosi's ...
JUL 31, 2019 • Article
Democratic Candidates and Foreign Policy
Which foreign policy narratives have emerged from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates? Will it be restorationist, democratic community, America First, retrenchment/redefinition, reindustrialization/regeneration, or climate ...
JUL 22, 2019 • Article
The Failure of the Two-State Solution: Hope for Palestinian Youth
With the two-state solution facing obstacles from all sides, Palestinian youth need to "answer the urgent question of how to reframe the conflict discourse and ...
JUL 8, 2019 • Podcast
The Crack-Up: Eugene Debs & the Origins of Socialism in the U.S., with Maurice Isserman
Hamilton College's Maurice Isserman and historian Ted Widmer discuss American socialism in the early 1900s and the influence of Eugene Debs, a politician and trade ...
JUL 2, 2019 • Podcast
The History of the Census & the Citizenship Question, with Ted Widmer
Historian Ted Widmer tells the fascinating story of the United States Census, from its Revolutionary War origins up to the citizenship question controversy of the 2020 ...
JUN 27, 2019 • Article
The Romanian Diaspora's Impact on European Stability
The results of last month's European Parliament elections and justice referendum in Romania "delivered a humiliating blow to its ruling populist coalition," writes journalist Teodor ...
JUN 20, 2019 • Podcast
Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency, with Larry Diamond
Larry Diamond's core argument is stark: the defense and advancement of democratic ideals relies on U.S. global leadership. If the U.S. does not ...
JUN 17, 2019 • Podcast
The Crack-Up: A Hundred Years of Student Protests in China, with Jeffrey Wasserstrom
In the latest "Crack-Up" podcast, China expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom discusses the rich history of Chinese student protests. From the May Fourth movement in 1919 to Tiananmen ...