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
MAY 14, 2008 • Podcast
David Speedie Interviews Jack Matlock
Senior Fellow David Speedie interviews former U.S. ambassador Jack Matlock on U.S. relations with Russia: how they evolved, current policy problems, and what ...
JAN 22, 2008 • Article
The Real "Surge" of 2007: Non-Combatant Death in Iraq and Afghanistan
While overall violence declined in Iraq in the last few months, civilian deaths at U.S. hands in both Iraq and Afghanistan were up approximately 70 ...
SEP 20, 2007 • Podcast
Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite
D. Michael Lindsay says that evangelicals have become the new internationalists working at both policy and grassroot levels for more American engagement abroad. How does ...
APR 2, 2007 • Article
The United States Must Choose a Global Role to Fight Terrorism
Is isolationist unilateralism (the "Israelization" of America) an acceptable U.S. response to globalized terrorism? No, argues Spring, for both practical and ethical reasons.
FEB 23, 2007 • Transcript
Diplomacy and Empire
"The supreme purpose of our foreign policy must be to defend our values and to do so by means that do not corrode them. By ...
FEB 23, 2007 • Podcast
Diplomacy and Empire
"The supreme purpose of our foreign policy must be to defend our values and to do so by means that do not corrode them. By ...
FEB 21, 2007 • Podcast
Nixon and Mao: The Week that Changed the World
How did this momentous meeting between two leaders lay the foundations for today's complex and difficult relationship between the United States and China?
JAN 18, 2007 • Podcast
Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present
"Few Americans know of their very rich, centuries-long legacy in the Middle East," says Oren. "It’s a multifaceted heritage of war and statecraft, altruism ...
JAN 11, 2007 • Podcast
Global Financial Warriors: The Untold Story of International Finance in the Post-9/11 World
What steps did the U.S. government take to freeze terrorist assets worldwide, plan the financial reconstruction of Afghanistan, and oversee the development of a ...
DEC 7, 2006 • Podcast
Can and Should Trade Be Used to Promote Human Rights, Fairness? Part 1
Edward Lincoln traces and assesses trends that have made economics more important since the 1960s and the forces in business, technology, and government that have ...