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.
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Preparing Ethical Leaders in a Fragmented World
Latest Podcast Episode
Noah Bopp, founder of The School for Ethics and Global Leadership, joins Values & Interests to discuss educating ethical leaders in an era of polarization and institutional decline.
How can schools cultivate ethical judgment without ideological conformity? And what role do mentorship, pluralism, and good faith dialogue play in rebuilding civic trust?
Drawing on experiences from classrooms in the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, Bopp argues that preparing future leaders begins not with certainty, but with the courage to wrestle with difficult questions together.
Access Recent Events
Nuclear Ethics
We are walking a fraying nuclear tightrope in a challenging and unpredictable geopolitical environment. This expert panel and Q&A, discussing the PBS documentary "Bombhsell," was moderated by acclaimed journalist Ann Curry
U.S. Power and Principle
America’s post–World War II calculus guiding the relationship between power and principle has shifted dramatically. James Story, former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discuss this new dynamic.
Geopolitics in an Era of AGI
As policymakers and diplomats increasingly leverage AI agents and non-state tech companies grow in power and influence in the push toward AGI, Carnegie Council assembled an expert panel to discuss the geopolitical impact of these technologies.
Post-Liberal American Power
Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power? Access the full discussion on the defunding of U.S. soft power institutions, cuts to foreign aid, and the embrace of an aggressive transactional style of diplomacy in the first months of 2025.
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Full Podcast Episodes
MAY 20, 2025 • Podcast
Character not Compliance, with Edward Brooks
Oxford's Dr. Edward Brooks joins "Values & Interests" to discuss how embracing ethics can unlock better thinking, relationships, and outcomes in our personal and professional lives.
APR 29, 2025 • Podcast
Interrogating Our “Norms” with Professor Tanisha Fazal
University of Minnesota's Professor Tanisha Fazal joins the "Values & Interests" podcast to discuss shifting geopolitical norms in a moment of global transition.
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.