Democracy

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

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.

Explore Our Democracy Resources

DEC 6, 2018 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: The End of World War I & the Future of American Democracy, with Ted Widmer

Historian and Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Ted Widmer looks back to the end of the First World War, and the upheaval that followed it in ...

DEC 4, 2018 Podcast

Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now, with Alan Rusbridger

"Were we a business, were we a mission, were we a public service, or were we a profit center?" Alan Rusbridger, former editor-in-chief of "The ...

Robert Kagan. CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni

NOV 20, 2018 Podcast

The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World, with Robert Kagan

"The analogy that is at the heart of this book is about a jungle and a garden," says Robert Kagan. "In order to have a ...

L to R: Tanisha Fazal, Chris Capozzola, Katherine Akey, Charles Sorrie, and Seiko Mimaki. CREDIT: Billy Pickett

NOV 19, 2018 Transcript

The Living Legacy of the First World War

Five Fellows from "The Living Legacy of the First World War" project present their work. Their talks cover the history of war-induced psychological trauma and ...

Myanmar security forces member near burnt-down houses in Rakhine State. CREDIT Steve Sandford (VOA) via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Rohingya_persecution_in_Myanmar#/media/File:BGP_officer_near_a_burnt_down_house_in_Rakhine_State.jpg">Wikipedia</a>

NOV 16, 2018 Podcast

Myanmar and the Plight of the Rohingya, with Elliott Prasse-Freeman

The Rohingya are seen as fundamentally 'other,' says Prasse-Freeman. "Hence, even if they have formal citizenship, they wouldn't really be accepted as citizens, as ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/34585748@N00/321902708">Doug Wildman</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(CC)</a>

NOV 14, 2018 Podcast

Internet Trolls in the U.S. and Mexico, with Saiph Savage

Professor Saiph Savage is an activist scholar and technology expert who is using large-scale data to study the sophisticated ways in which trolls target certain ...

NOV 12, 2018 Podcast

Enemy of the People: Trump's War on the Press, with Marvin Kalb

Trump has a love-hate relationship with the press, which he calls "the enemy of the people" when it crosses him, knowing nothing of the origins ...

OCT 29, 2018 Podcast

The Alternatives to War: From Sanctions to Nonviolence, with James Pattison

In this interview with the Council's John Krzyzaniak, James Pattison (University of Manchester, UK), discusses his book, "The Alternatives to War." Taking what he calls ...

OCT 26, 2018 Podcast

Reckless: Henry Kissinger and the Tragedy of Vietnam, with Robert K. Brigham

Henry Kissinger is smart, charming, and a great writer, says historian Robert Brigham. But when it came to Vietnam, his arrogance and deceit made a ...

L to R: Sir John Elvidge, Theresa Donaldson, Quintin Oliver, Rolf Alter. CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni.

OCT 22, 2018 Transcript

The Northern Ireland We Have--the Challenges

In this panel Theresa Donaldson, former chief executive of Lisburn City and Castlereagh District Council, Quintin Oliver, director of Stratagem International, and Rolf Alter, formerly ...