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

Solidarity protest against anti-black violence in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 2020. Credit: <a href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solidarity_Protest_Against_Anti-black_violence_in_the_US_and_EU_DSC02745.jpg>Karen Elliot/Wikimedia (CC)</a>.

JUL 28, 2020 Article

We The People: Democracy in 2020

Mass protests have erupted around the world over the brutal killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Carnegie New Leader Rachel Baranowski argues ...

JUL 27, 2020 Podcast

Human Security is National Security in a Time of Pandemic, with Derek Reveron

Professor Derek Reveron, chair of the U.S. Naval War College's National Security Affairs Department, discusses how subnational and transnational forces--namely, the COVID-19 pandemic--intersect with ...

White House press conference, July 14, 2020. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/50115849402/">The White House/Tia Dufour/Public Domain</a>.

JUL 15, 2020 Article

The Persistence of the Trump Narrative

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev reiterates the point that U.S. foreign policy will not snap back to its pre-Trump state, no matter who is in ...

JUL 15, 2020 Podcast

Immigration & the Black Lives Matter Protests, with Kavitha Rajagopalan

How have conversations in the immigration rights community shifted since this round of Black Lives Matters protests started? In this new environment, what are some ...

Washington, DC, June 7, 2020. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22526649@N03/49981040502/">Ted Eytan</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(CC)</a>.

JUL 7, 2020 Transcript

Civil Society & Social Movements: A Conversation with Patrick Gaspard

Patrick Gaspard, president of Open Society Foundations, discusses the role of young people and civil society in this historic summer in the United States in ...

Black Lives Matter protest in Columbus, Ohio, May 30, 2020. CREDIT: <A href=https://www.flickr.com/photos/21426642@N07/49954069361>Becker1999</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>.

JUL 1, 2020 Article

Where Do Human Rights Fit In? Policy Narratives Re-examined

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev discusses Nahal Toosi's recent "Politico" article about a subtle but major shift in the international landscape: human rights groups focusing on ...

U.S./Mexico border at Border Field State Park/Imperial Beach, San Diego, California, 2014. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/diversey/15999598736">Tony Webster</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>

JUN 24, 2020 Podcast

"Remain in Mexico" & Immigration Policy in 2020, with Molly O'Toole

Molly O'Toole, immigration and security reporter at the "Los Angeles Times," discusses Trump's "Remain in Mexico" asylum policy and its many ethical and legal issues. ...

JUN 15, 2020 Podcast

The Ethics of the Coronavirus Lockdown, with Christian Barry

Due to COVID-19, significant restrictions have been placed on freedoms to move about in many nations. Philosopher Christian Barry explores how the costs of these ...

Kurt Volker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, in Eastern Ukraine, May 15, 2018. <br>CREDIT: <a href=https://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassykyiv/42148984241/>U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine (CC)</a>.

MAY 26, 2020 Article

TIGRE: The Missing Link? Operationalizing the Democratic Community Narrative

Does the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as renewed concerns about overdependence on China, create an opening for the United States to move forward on decoupling ...

Donald Trump & Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vladimir_Putin_%26_Donald_Trump_in_Helsinki,_16_July_2018_(7).jpg">Kremlin.ru (CC)</a>.

MAY 12, 2020 Podcast

Great Power Populism, COVID-19, & Missing Leadership, with Damjan Krnjević Mišković & Nikolas Gvosdev

What is "great power populism" and what does it mean during the pandemic? Are we heading towards another global conflict? And are there any leaders ...