Values & Interests

A Carnegie Council series

The "Values & Interests" podcast and event series takes a deep dive into the ethical tensions and tradeoffs at the heart of decision-making across geopolitics, tech, philosophy, and business.

Explore how ethics can serve as a tool for making more reflective and responsible choices. Hear from leaders and experts who have spent their careers reckoning with critical ethical questions across their personal and professional lives. Whether facing daily decisions or tackling global issues, you’ll uncover new approaches for navigating the complex and often fraught relationship between our own values and interests


Latest Podcast Episode

Björn Holmberg, executive director of the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss pragmatic idealism in a world increasingly defined by transactional politics and national interests. How can we best inject ethics into the practice of geopolitics? How we can realistically create an environment conducive to global cooperation?

Watch the Full Episode

Full Podcast Episodes

APR 8, 2025 Podcast

Doubling Down on Values in a Moment of Crisis, with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Hertling discusses lessons in leadership, embracing your professional ethos, and the importance of staying true to your values in times of crisis. 

MAR 18, 2025 Podcast

Small States, Mutual Respect, and the Future of the International System, with Ambassador Ali Naseer Mohamed

Ambassador Ali Naseer Mohamed, permanent representative of the Maldives to the UN, discusses the vital role of small states at this critical global moment.

FEB 26, 2025 Podcast

A World without USAID? with Andrew Natsios

Andrew Natsios, former USAID administrator, discusses humanitarianism as a moral principle and the potential geopolitical consequences of the shuttering of the aid organization.

FEB 20, 2025 Podcast

Morality and Power from the Individual to the Institution, with Joel Rosenthal

For the inaugural episode of "Values & Interests" Joel Rosenthal unpacks the complex and challenging relationship between morality and power in our personal lives and geopolitics.

FEB 7, 2025 Podcast

Values & Interests: Trailer to the Series

This new podcast series takes a deep dive into the ethical tensions and tradeoffs at the heart of decision-making in today’s interconnected world.