Rediscovering Our Shared Humanity, Values, and Interests
As 2025 ends, we find ourselves facing a new international order.
Illiberalism ascendant, wars in multiple regions, lives and society fundamentally altered by AI-related technologies, and the shocking pace and scale of climate change. The principles of democracy, cooperation, pluralism, and humanitarianism are being put to the test.
In early 1914 as World War I loomed, Andrew Carnegie founded Carnegie Council to bring ethics to bear in a world where an old order was falling apart, and a new one seemed possible. It was a moment in many ways like today . . .
- Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal
CREDIT: Sinhat25/(CC).
Ethics in a Post-Liberal World
Nearly a year into Trump's second term, liberal principles hang in the balance. Bringing these norms back to life will require courage and the power of states, businesses, institutions, and the people.
With the boundaries of the American law and politics, and the norms of daily life being tested, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal writes, “The fact is, power is consolidating around post-liberals who embrace a post-truth world where they can erase history, distort reality, seize power, and impose their worldview.”
More on the Impact of a Post-Liberal World
Post-Liberal American Power
In the first event in our "Values & Interests" series, an expert panel examines the question: Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power?
A Moment for Moral Resilience—Not Exhaustion
Humanitarianism, international cooperation, and democracy are being challenged and outright rejected. But we need moral resilience to help us navigate this complicated time, writes Joel Rosenthal.
Erase & Rewind: The Politics of Nostalgia & its Ethical Implications
Populist leaders like Trump and Putin frequently employ nostalgic rhetoric for political gain. Tinatin Japaridze analyzes the impact and ethical downsides of this strategy.
CREDIT: David B. Gleason (CC)
Department of Violence
Writing for the Ethics & International Affairs journal, UC Berkley's Christopher Kutz discusses the tenure of "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth, touching on his September 2025 speech to military commanders and the escalation of attacks on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Kutz argues that “liberal democracies have purpose and integrity because they hold themselves to standards of public justification, both internally and abroad.”
Values & Interests: Analyzing Ethical Tensions & Tradeoffs
FEB 20, 2025 • Podcast
Morality and Power from the Individual to the Institution, with Joel Rosenthal
APR 29, 2025 • Podcast
Interrogating Our “Norms” with Professor Tanisha Fazal
University of Minnesota's Professor Tanisha Fazal joins the "Values & Interests" podcast to discuss shifting geopolitical norms in a moment of global transition.
AUG 26, 2025 • Podcast
The Ethical Abyss: A Tech Ecosystem Reliant on Conflict, with Professor Elke Schwarz
Elke Schwarz joins "Values & Interests" to discuss the new highly militarized tech ecosystem and the resulting dehumanization of civilians in conflict zones around the world.
Global Ethics Day | Re-envisioning Humanitarianism for a Changing World
Today, more than 305 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection due to a myriad of overlapping crises. Despite this overwhelming need, traditional providers of foreign assistance, such as the U.S. and UK, have slashed their commitments, choosing instead to prioritize hard power investments over international aid. As humanitarian challenges intensify, how can we re-envision aid to effectively support vulnerable populations?
In Carnegie Council's Global Ethics Day keynote event in 2025, an expert panel discussed how to chart new pathways for equitable design, funding, and delivery of assistance to respond to today's global realities and future crises.
Events from the Ethics Empowered: Leadership in Practice Series
Addressing Climate Migration & Considerations for the Future
Watch this panel discussion, which examines the question: How can nations collaborate to ensure the rights of people moving due to climate change?
Advancing Global Health in a Moment of Fracturing Partnerships
Access this special discussion on the importance of multilateral cooperation in global health hosted by Carnegie Ethics Fellow Nicholas Bayer.
Moral Dilemmas and Political Tradeoffs in Peacekeeping Operations
In this convening, practitioners and academics grappled with critical questions for UN peacekeeping, now and in the future.
Ethics & International Affairs journal: Global Governance in Hard Times
The Institutional Dynamics of Global Governance in Hard Times: Innovation or Decline?
This lead article for a special "Ethics & International Affairs" journal roundtable argues that global governance currently faces challenges because it is affected by a set of significant developments, and identifies two major institutional dynamics at play in hard times.
Information Fragmentation and Global Governance in Hard Times
With formal international organizations (IOs) facing gridlock, informal IOs proliferating, and global governance institutions facing challenges, cooperation in the 21st century looks different than it did in previous eras. What do these trends portend for international politics?
The Diffusion of Global Power and the Decline of Global Governance
This essay makes the case that the changing global distribution of state power has led to a decline in global governance: that is, the attempt to build authoritative rules and institutions that represent the common goals of the “international community.”
Ethics on Film in 2025
OCT 24, 2025 • Article
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "A House of Dynamite"
JUL 11, 2025 • Article
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "Mountainhead"
This review of HBO's "Mountainhead" discusses ethical issues around emerging tech and the power and influence of billionaires.
JUN 4, 2025 • Article
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "I'm Still Here"
This review of the Brazilian Oscar-winning 2024 film "I'm Still Here" explores ethical issues surrounding Brazil's 20th century military dictatorship and parallels to today.
Carnegie Ethics Fellows Spotlight Series
A Conversation with Carnegie Ethics Fellow Nicholas Bayer
Nicholas Bayer discusses his introduction to ethics, details his work in communications at Doctors Without Borders, and speaks about the impact of the Fellowship.
A Conversation with Carnegie Ethics Fellow Molly Schaeffer
Molly Schaeffer, executive director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Asylum Seeker Operation, discusses the role that ethics plays in her professional life.
A Conversation with Carnegie Ethics Fellow Josh Acosta
Josh Acosta, a nonresident fellow at George Mason University, speaks about the importance of mentors and his academic work focusing on post-conflict reconstruction, mediation, and peacebuilding.
Accelerating the Implementation of Climate Action
Applied ethics offers a practical approach to better understand human choices and address real-world problems. Can it, then, help unlock novel approaches to accelerate climate action implementation?
In March 2025, the Carnegie Ethics Accelerator convened leading climate action practitioners and applied ethicists to explore this question.