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
SEP 4, 2013 • Article
Seven Scenarios for the Future of Syria
"Now that the country has imploded, there is no easy way out." Seth Kaplan outlines possible futures for Syria, followed by a list of recommended ...
AUG 30, 2013 • Article
Syria: The Case for Punitive Intervention
"If framed in terms of punishment for a wrong committed, and if undertaken in a way that respects the rule of law at the global ...
AUG 16, 2013 • Article
No, the Sky Is Not Falling
Controversy surrounding the Magnitsky Act and the Edward Snowden affair has led some observers to believe a "new Cold War" is underway between the U....
JUL 10, 2013 • Article
Venezuela: An Ethical Foreign Policy?
Some observers see Venezuela's foreign policy as promoting international solidarity with the oppressed, combating poverty, and pushing for a just world order free of uni-polar ...
JUN 13, 2013 • Podcast
Ethics Matter: Jeremy Scahill on the World as a Battlefield
In the name of the "war on terror," the U.S. is conducting covert warfare and targeted killings, and it dismisses the resulting deaths of ...
JUN 11, 2013 • Podcast
Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era
Joseph Nye asks: "If the United States starts out the 20th century as a second-tier power and it ends up the 20th century as the ...
JUN 10, 2013 • Podcast
The World Through Arab Eyes: Arab Public Opinion and the Reshaping of the Middle East
While domestic injustices and the information revolution were key factors, Dr. Telhami argues it's impossible to understand the Arab uprisings without also referring to foreign ...
JUN 6, 2013 • Podcast
Foreign Policy Begins at Home: The Case for Putting America's House in Order
We have been guilty of overreaching abroad and underachieving at home, says Richard Haass, and these sins are really two sides of the national security ...
MAY 31, 2013 • Podcast
Legal Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of National Security
"In the post-9/11 world, the job of being the senior legal authority for the Department of Defense is the perfect storm collision of law, national ...
MAY 24, 2013 • Article
The U.S., China, and Cybersecurity: The Ethical Underpinnings of a Controversial Geopolitical Issue
Though commonly conceptualized as a strategic geopolitical issue, cybersecurity's underpinnings are comprised by a series of fundamental ethical considerations. Addressing these will provide a better ...