Multilateralism By and For the People

Oct 16, 2026 • 49 min listen

People are rapidly losing faith in multilateral institutions. Heela Rasool-Ayub, co-director of the Power, People, and Planet Initiative at New America, joined Values & Interests to discuss potential pathways toward a more inclusive and responsive international system.

Drawing upon her family’s journey from Afghanistan to the United States and her career across the Foreign Service—at both USAID and as Director for Global Engagement at the National Security Council—Heela discusses how her values system has informed her commitment to the principle of cooperation and her ongoing work to create a more human-centric multilateral future.

Listen to the podcast and access Heela’s latest report: The Future of Multilateralism Is Up for Grabs.

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V&I Multilateralism Spotify link V&I Multilateralism for the People Apple Podcast link

Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs is an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit. The views expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Carnegie Council.

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