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
FEB 6, 2026 • Article
Trump and the Gaslighting of American Realism
APR 9, 2026 • Article
Realism vs. Pragmatism: Understanding America’s New Rhetorical Landscape
Amid Trump's fiery rhetoric and debates over "realism," Professor Jason Ralph writes that "pragmatism" may offer a better alternative for the American public.
SEP 11, 2025 • Video
Post-Liberal American Power
In the first event in our "Values & Interests" series, an expert panel examines the question: Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power?
Related Initiatives
Ethics & International Affairs Journal
Ethics & International Affairs is the quarterly journal of Carnegie Council. It aims to close the gap between the theory and practice of ethics.
Explore Our Democracy Resources
OCT 23, 2014 • Article
Brazil at a Crossroads: The 2013 Protests and the Upcoming Presidential Elections
Who will win the Brazilian election on October 26, and which--if either--of the candidates is more likely to fulfill the demands of the protesters who took ...
OCT 15, 2014 • Podcast
Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy
What are the requirements for a liberal democracy? It's not just voting, says Fukuyama. It needs a distinction between public and private interest; rule of ...
OCT 13, 2014 • Podcast
Elite Perceptions of the United States in Europe and Asia
An interesting new report finds that political and business leaders in Asia value U.S. hard power while Europeans focus on American values. Both, however, ...
OCT 10, 2014 • Article
Security Threats in Africa: A Critical Perspective
The U.S. is still seeing Africa from a Cold War perspective rooted in political realist thought, writes Africa security expert Metelits. But characterizing non-Western ...
SEP 25, 2014 • Article
Ethics Fellows for the Future 2014 Essay Collection
This booklet is a collection of the Ethics Fellows for the Future (EFF) essays and project outlines as well as the winning essay of Carnegie ...
SEP 3, 2014 • Podcast
War and Reconciliation in the Twentieth-Century Balkans
What are the remedies for the endless cycles of violence in the Balkans? Croatian historian Ivo Banac examines various solutions that have been tried and ...
SEP 3, 2014 • Podcast
Sarajevo Panel Discussion
In this wide-ranging conversation, participants from the Sarajevo Symposium discuss the past, present, and future of the former Yugoslav states with a focus on Bosnia ...
SEP 3, 2014 • Podcast
Sarajevo Symposium, Closing Remarks
"We have all got to live with each other. There will be Serbs here in a thousand years, Croats here in a thousand years. We're ...
AUG 28, 2014 • Podcast
Ukraine and the New Divide between the United States and Russia
David Speedie interviews Dr. Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on how the Ukraine crisis has ...
AUG 18, 2014 • Article
Sarajevo: Perspectives from a Carnegie New Leader
Conor Moran, a member of the Carnegie Council Centennial delegation, shares some complex thoughts on the city of Sarajevo and the nation of Bosnia and ...