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.

SEP 9, 2022 Podcast

Freezing Order: Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath, with Bill Browder

What will it take to stop Russia’s President Vladimir Putin? Few have seen his wrath as closely as American-born British financier Bill Browder, who ...

AUG 11, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: Changing Dynamics in West Asia, with Mohammed Soliman

How could the world change if the dynamism of India's rise is connected to the wealth and resources of the Gulf states and the technological ...

JUL 28, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: What is the Real Threat of Nuclear War? with Dr. Gary Samore

Brandeis University's Professor Gary Samore, joins Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss how nuclear deterrence fosters restraint and caution, and the hope ...

JUL 13, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: Biden's Middle East Reset with NYU's Dr. Carolyn Kissane

Doorstep podcast co-hosts Tatiana Serafin and Nick Gvosdev are joined by NYU's Dr. Carolyn Kissane to discuss Biden's "Middle East reset" and trip to Saudi ...

JUN 28, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: Responding to Putin's War of Attrition, with Atlantic Council's Melinda Haring

As the fifth month of Russia's invasion of Ukraine begins, Atlantic Council's Melinda Haring returns to speak with "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin ...

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