U.S. Global Engagement Initiative

Reshaping discussions on U.S. foreign policy by highlighting ethical considerations

For the last five years, the post-Cold War bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy—that the sustained deployment of U.S. power around the world is indispensable for maintaining the international system—has been called into question. There are now a series of competing narratives providing very different rationales for the degree and scope of U.S. engagement being advanced by different groups on the U.S. domestic political spectrum—each resting on a different understanding of what constitutes ethics in international affairs.

The U.S. Global Engagement Initiative seeks to:

Reshape

Reshape wider discussions on U.S. foreign policy to seriously address the causes and consequences of U.S. disengagement and re-engagement.

Move

Move ethical considerations to the center of policymakers' thinking about international relations, including the emergence of new ethical perspectives based on environmentalism, a focus on greater inclusivity, and the emergence of new technologies.

Probe

Probe the ethical considerations in a world increasingly defined by geopolitical and ideological competition among major powers.

Inform

Inform democratic citizens' understanding of international affairs, global engagement, and U.S. foreign policymaking.

Featured USGE Podcasts, Events, & Articles

FEB 28, 2023 Article

U.S. Leaders Need to Make the "Doorstep" Case for Supporting Ukraine

The Biden administration continues to make its appeal for support for Ukraine's war effort, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discussing the economic reasons in a "New York Times" op-ed. Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev wonders if this "doorstep" argument will be convincing for Americans.

SEP 9, 2022 Podcast

Freezing Order: Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath, with Bill Browder

What will it take to stop Russia’s President Vladimir Putin? Few have seen his wrath as closely as American-born British financier Bill Browder, who was the largest foreign investor in Russia until investigations led by his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky exposed massive corruption and misconduct by Russian officials leading all ...

The Doorstep

A program of Carnegie Council's U.S. Global Engagement Initiative, The Doorstep is an event series and podcast showcasing how global news impacts your daily life. Hosted by award-winning professor of journalism Tatiana Serafin and international relations scholar Nikolas Gvosdev, The Doorstep seeks to broaden listener perspectives on global affairs.

NOV 16, 2022 Podcast

Personality and Power: Builders and Destroyers of Modern Europe, with Ian Kershaw

Throughout the 20th century, European leaders from Stalin to Mussolini, from Gorbachev to Thatcher, and more, have shifted global narratives by sheer force of will. ...

NOV 9, 2022 Podcast

What's Next Post-Midterms for the Biden/Harris Administration? with Rational Security

In a crossover collaboration with the national security and foreign policy podcast "Rational Security," co-hosts Scott R. Anderson and Alan Z. Rozenshtein, both "Lawfare" senior ...

NOV 2, 2022 Podcast

The Young Leaders Transforming the 2022 Midterms, with Layla Zaidane

With less than a week to Election Day, Layla Zaidane, president and CEO of the Millennial Action Project, joins "Doorstep" co-hosts, Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana ...

OCT 26, 2022 Podcast

What You Need to Know About Global Supply Chains, with the AP's Joshua Goodman

The Associated Press' Joshua Goodman joins "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss his latest reporting on the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee ...

OCT 5, 2022 Podcast

Is Elon Musk the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy? with Puck's Teddy Schleifer

With one tweet about the outlines of a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, Elon Musk elicited a derisive response from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ...

Leadership

Nikolas K. Gvosdev

Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, U.S. Global Engagement Initiative (USGE); U.S. Naval War College

Tatiana Serafin

Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, U.S. Global Engagement Initiative (USGE); Marymount Manhattan College