U.S. Global Engagement Initiative

Reshaping discussions on U.S. foreign policy by highlighting ethical considerations

For the last five years, the post-Cold War bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy—that the sustained deployment of U.S. power around the world is indispensable for maintaining the international system—has been called into question. There are now a series of competing narratives providing very different rationales for the degree and scope of U.S. engagement being advanced by different groups on the U.S. domestic political spectrum—each resting on a different understanding of what constitutes ethics in international affairs.

The U.S. Global Engagement Initiative seeks to:

Reshape

Reshape wider discussions on U.S. foreign policy to seriously address the causes and consequences of U.S. disengagement and re-engagement.

Move

Move ethical considerations to the center of policymakers' thinking about international relations, including the emergence of new ethical perspectives based on environmentalism, a focus on greater inclusivity, and the emergence of new technologies.

Probe

Probe the ethical considerations in a world increasingly defined by geopolitical and ideological competition among major powers.

Inform

Inform democratic citizens' understanding of international affairs, global engagement, and U.S. foreign policymaking.

Featured USGE Podcasts, Events, & Articles

JAN 11, 2024 Podcast

Can the Nation-State Survive in 2024? with Judah Grunstein

Judah Grunstein, editor-in-chief of "World Politics Review," joins "The Doorstep" to discusses the fracturing, power vacuums, and identitarianism that will re-shape international politics in 2024.

FEB 1, 2024 Podcast

The Future of Foreign Policy is Feminist, with Kristina Lunz

In this virtual event, Kristina Lunz discusses her book on feminist foreign policy. How can this innovative approach to global diplomacy become a reality?

The Doorstep

An international news podcast and event series that invites participants to recognize that all global news is local in a borderless Internet. Hosted by award-winning journalism professor Tatiana Serafin and international relations scholar Nikolas Gvosdev, this series seeks to broaden listener perspectives on global affairs.

JUL 23, 2021 Podcast

The Doorstep: Biden's India Strategy, with Dhruva Jaishankar

The U.S.-India relationship is a central part of the Biden-Harris administration focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Ahead of U.S. Secretary of State ...

JUL 21, 2021 Podcast

The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of a Country and Its People, with Tara Kangarlou

In today’s interconnected global village, Iran remains a mystery to much of the rest of the world―especially to those living in the United ...

Map depicting China's Belt and Road Initiative. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:One-belt-one-road.svg">Lommes (CC)</a>.

JUL 9, 2021 Podcast

The Doorstep: China in the Middle East & U.S. Foreign Policy, with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez

What is China up to in the Middle East? How is its massive Belt and Road infrastructure project affecting U.S. foreign policy and American ...

JUN 18, 2021 Podcast

The Doorstep: Cryptocurrencies & Global Decentralization, with NYU Stern's David Yermack

Cryptocurrencies are dominating headlines with El Salvador recently announcing Bitcoin as the country's legal tender and Biden and Putin discussing ransomware and crypto at their ...

Detail from book cover.

JUN 15, 2021 Podcast

Rethinking American Grand Strategy, with Christopher McKnight Nichols

What is grand strategy? What differentiates it from normal strategic thought? What, in other words, makes it "grand"? In answering these questions, most scholars have ...

Leadership

Nikolas K. Gvosdev

Former Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, U.S. Global Engagement Initiative (USGE); U.S. Naval War College

Tatiana Serafin

Former Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, U.S. Global Engagement Initiative (USGE); Marymount Manhattan College