Framing ethical perspectives
As countries grapple with global issues, such as climate change and the impact of emerging technology, the way that nations interact has never been more consequential. Our experts, programming, and impact initiatives work to analyze the foreign policy of the United States and other nations with an aim to explore shared values and produce agenda-setting resources.
Foreign Policy Resources
International affairs, global governance, and more
DEC 15, 2025 • Video
The Ethics of Decision-Making in National Security
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.
AUG 14, 2025 • Podcast
Values, Realism, and U.S. Foreign Policy, with Alexander Vindman
Alexander Vindman joins "Values & Interests" to discuss the critical interplay between morality and power in the practice of geopolitics.
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.
Model International Mobility Convention
The primary goal of the Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC) is to formulate new rules for migration and asylum that can benefit both migrants and refugees as well as their states of origin, transit, and destination.
Explore Our Foreign Policy Resources
FEB 9, 2018 • Article
American Engagement: When It Comes to Foreign Policy, Does America Deserve Trump?
As the 2018 State of the Union address illustrated and to the great dismay of the "elites," President Trump is truly taking an "America First" approach ...
JAN 31, 2018 • Article
State of the Union: The Era of the Liberal Leviathan Is Over
Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address–and used the rostrum in the House of Representatives to again break with some ...
JAN 26, 2018 • Podcast
Moral Leadership Missing in Burma, with Ambassador Derek Mitchell
Former ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell examines the complex situation there, including the roots of the ongoing Rohingya crisis and China's influence there. Aung San ...
JAN 26, 2018 • Article
Trump at Davos: Trickle-Down American Engagement
President Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2018, where he offered his audience of ...
JAN 16, 2018 • Article
A Tangled Embrace: What the JFK Papers Tell Us about the CIA's Anti-Castro Cuban Agents
In 1976, Cubana Flight 455 was brought down by a terrorist bomb. All 72 people aboard perished. Anti-Castro terrorist and longtime CIA asset Luis Posada is widely considered ...
JAN 12, 2018 • Podcast
Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2018 with Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer
Probably the most dangerous geopolitical environment in decades-China, AI, Trump, end of Pax Americana--yes, it's very bad. But all these challenges energize political scientist Ian ...
JAN 10, 2018 • Podcast
Deciphering the Middle East and Trump's National Security Stategy, with Asha Castleberry
Asha Castleberry, Fordham professor and U.S. Army veteran, describes her "mixed reaction" to Trump's National Security Strategy--touching on China and Russia, cybersecurity, and climate ...
DEC 20, 2017 • Podcast
Trump's National Security Strategy, with Julianne Smith
"I would say most of the people I have talked to outside of government, including some people in Congress, have been a little taken aback," ...
DEC 20, 2017 • Article
A New World? Changes in the Global Order
Lowell Schwartz of the Naval War College says that we are in the midst of a major shift: the prevailing assumptions of the last 25 years ...
DEC 8, 2017 • Article
America's Selective Burden Shedding?
Instead of the standard "burden sharing," Daniel Hamilton says that the U.S. under Trump is engaging in "selective burden shedding." In other words, the ...