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.

Beijing Rules, with Bethany Allen

Featured USGE Podcasts, Events, & Articles

JAN 11, 2024 Podcast

Can the Nation-State Survive in 2024? with Judah Grunstein

Judah Grunstein, editor-in-chief of "World Politics Review," joins "The Doorstep" to discusses the fracturing, power vacuums, and identitarianism that will re-shape international politics in 2024.

FEB 1, 2024 Podcast

The Future of Foreign Policy is Feminist, with Kristina Lunz

In this virtual event, Kristina Lunz discusses her book on feminist foreign policy. How can this innovative approach to global diplomacy become a reality?

The Doorstep

An international news podcast and event series that invites participants to recognize that all global news is local in a borderless Internet. Hosted by award-winning journalism professor Tatiana Serafin and international relations scholar Nikolas Gvosdev, this series seeks to broaden listener perspectives on global affairs.

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, ...

SEP 14, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: The Global Water Crisis, with Susanne Schmeier

In two years, two-thirds of the world's population may face water shortages that will lead to crises of epic proportions from water refugees to potential ...

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