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
SEP 14, 2018 • Podcast
Future Politics, with Jamie Susskind
There are three major technological developments that are transforming the way we live, says Jamie Susskind: increasingly capable systems, increasingly integrated technology, and increasingly quantified ...
SEP 13, 2018 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: Expertise in the Era of Trump, with Joel Rosenthal
Responding to excerpts from U.S. Naval War College's Professor Tom Nichols and best-selling author and economist Dambisa Moyo--and the hostile anti-expert tone of the ...
SEP 12, 2018 • Article
Advising the Next Administration: Finding a New Foreign Policy Approach
The Center for American Progress has released a report laying out a foreign policy approach that the next administration might consider adopting. What are some "...
SEP 12, 2018 • Article
Unsafe Harbor: Shrinking Space of Free Expression in Hong Kong
"Since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the Communist leadership in Beijing—and the Hong Kong government acting at its behest—has made a concerted effort ...
SEP 11, 2018 • Podcast
China's Spies in California with Zach Dorfman
"There is a significant counterintelligence threat on the West Coast of the U.S., and it differs in meaningful ways from what is commonly perceived ...
SEP 10, 2018 • Transcript
Identity in Colombia, with José Alejandro Cepeda
Colombia's civil war lasted from the 1960s to 2016. How has this terrible experience shaped the Colombian identity and how long will it take before the ...
SEP 6, 2018 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: Americans & Putin's Russia, with Nikolas Gvosdev
Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at the reasons for the growing favorability ratings towards Putin's Russia among a certain segment of the American population. Is ...
SEP 5, 2018 • Podcast
Fighting Fake News, with Anya Schiffrin
"Disinformation, fake news, online propaganda is a problem that has gotten attention all over the world, and we're seeing very divergent responses," says Schiffrin, author ...
AUG 29, 2018 • Podcast
Spotting China's Influence Operations, with Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
The Chinese Communist Party's main goals for influence operations in the U.S are "to make sure that the U.S. does not stand in ...
AUG 23, 2018 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: Truth & Identity Politics, with Alexander Görlach
Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Alexander Görlach and host Alex Woodson speak about identity politics in the United States and Europe from their different perspectives. ...