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 development.
Featured Democracy Resources
State of global democracy, U.S. global engagement, and more
FEB 6, 2026 • Article
Trump and the Gaslighting of American Realism
APR 9, 2026 • Article
Realism vs. Pragmatism: Understanding America’s New Rhetorical Landscape
Amid Trump's fiery rhetoric and debates over "realism," Professor Jason Ralph writes that "pragmatism" may offer a better alternative for the American public.
SEP 11, 2025 • Video
Post-Liberal American Power
In the first event in our "Values & Interests" series, an expert panel examines the question: Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power?
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
MAY 22, 2019 • Podcast
A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism, with Adam Gopnik
In his eloquent defense of liberalism, Adam Gopnik goes back to its origins and argues that rather than emphasizing the role of the individual, the ...
MAY 21, 2019 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: The Mueller Report & U.S. Foreign Policy, with Jonathan Cristol
A lot of the talk about the Mueller Report has focused on its political and legal implications, but how will it affect U.S. foreign ...
MAY 21, 2019 • Article
Wichita and American Global Engagement
Senior Fellw Nikolas Gvosdev discusses his takeaways from a visit to the Wichita Committee on Foreign Relations and from a talk from foreign policy analyst ...
MAY 20, 2019 • Podcast
Religion & Politics in Southeast Asia, with Nava Nuraniyah
Nava Nuraniyah, an analyst at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) in Jakarta, Indonesia, speaks with Senior Fellow Devin Stewart about the recent ...
MAY 17, 2019 • Podcast
Civic Responsibility in the Internet Age, with Michael H. Posner
Historian Ted Widmer and Michael Posner, an NYU Stern professor and former U.S. State Department official, discuss local politics, journalism, and money in elections ...
MAY 14, 2019 • Podcast
100 Years After Versailles
Just weeks after an armistice halted the most devastating conflict in generations, the victors of the Great War set out to negotiate the terms of ...
MAY 10, 2019 • Podcast
Indonesia's General Election, with Marcus Mietzner
Marcus Mietzner of Australian National University speaks with Senior Fellow Devin Stewart about the results of the general election last month in Indonesia, one that ...
MAY 8, 2019 • Article
What Americans Want
The Center for American Progress has released their exhaustive survey of what Americans want in foreign policy and their results track closely with the conclusions ...
MAY 7, 2019 • Article
The Generational Divide?
As Millennials and "Generation Z" begin to enter the ranks of both American politics as well as the expert community, it is uncertain if they ...
MAY 3, 2019 • Podcast
The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best—and Worst—Chief Executives, with Brian Lamb
What lessons can we learn from America's past presidents? Can these lessons help us choose the next one wisely? In this timely talk, C-Span founder ...