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.
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
MAR 22, 2005 • Transcript
Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo 500 Years of State Oppression
Most Latin American countries have not overcome their inheritance from the colonial past: corporatism, state mercantilism, privilege, bottom-up wealth redistribution, and political law. By adopting ...
MAR 17, 2005 • Transcript
The Democracy Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace
The authors argue that democracy and development go hand in hand. Therefore, more aid should be given to poor democracies and democratizers than to poor ...
JAN 20, 2005 • Transcript
Indonesian Democracy: New Hope
The September 2004 election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gives Theodore Friend reason to be hopeful about the future of Indonesian democracy.
DEC 2, 2004 • Transcript
Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas
The loss of numerous jobs to outsourcing harms the middle class and presents a grave threat to the U.S. economy, argues Lou Dobbs.
NOV 9, 2004 • Transcript
The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror
Sharansky argues that spreading democracy everywhere is not only possible, but essential to the survival of our civilization.
NOV 9, 2004 • Article
Aristotle on Democracy
An abridged and edited excerpt from "Political Theory and International Affairs: Hans J. Morgenthau on Aristotle's 'The Politics,'"(Greenwood Praeger, 2004). Edited by former Carnegie ...
OCT 19, 2004 • Transcript
American Power and Empire
John Judis uncovers troubling parallels between America's foreign policy in the beginning of the 21st century and its imperialist experiments in the 1890s.
OCT 6, 2004 • Transcript
The Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations Is Not Inevitable
Novak insists that concepts of political, economic, and religious liberty can be found in the Qur'an.
JUL 6, 2004 • Article
The Role of Reparations in Transition to Democracy
Much attention is paid to prosecutions implemented by countries transitioning to democracy--but little to their efforts toward reparations. Yet from the standpoint of the victims, ...
JUN 28, 2004 • Transcript
Gag Rule: On the Stifling of Dissent and the Suppression of Democracy
Lewis Lapham criticizes the suppression of dissenting voices in the aftermath of September 11th and the complicity of the media in manipulating public opinion on ...