The "Values & Interests" podcast and event series takes a deep dive into the ethical tensions and tradeoffs at the heart of decision-making across geopolitics, tech, philosophy, and business.
Explore how ethics can serve as a tool for making more reflective and responsible choices. Hear from leaders and experts who have spent their careers reckoning with critical ethical questions across their personal and professional lives. Whether facing daily decisions or tackling global issues, you’ll uncover new approaches for navigating the complex and often fraught relationship between our own values and interests.
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Moral Courage, Individual Agency, and Institutional Trust
Latest Podcast Episode
Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent and current senior lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, joins host Kevin Maloney to explore how institutions depend on the choices of those who serve them, examining the pressures that turn compromise into complicity and the moral courage required to act on one’s values.
Access Recent Events
Democracy as a Moral Principle
What can be done to counter the rise of authoritarian forces? Freedom House CEO Jamie Fly and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal interrogate why democracy is both a moral and a political principle, and much more.
Nuclear Ethics
We are walking a fraying nuclear tightrope in a challenging and unpredictable geopolitical environment. This expert panel and Q&A, discussing the PBS documentary "Bombhsell," was moderated by acclaimed journalist Ann Curry
U.S. Power and Principle
America’s post–World War II calculus guiding the relationship between power and principle has shifted dramatically. James Story, former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discuss this new dynamic.
Geopolitics in an Era of AGI
As policymakers and diplomats increasingly leverage AI agents and non-state tech companies grow in power and influence in the push toward AGI, Carnegie Council assembled an expert panel to discuss the geopolitical impact of these technologies.
Post-Liberal American Power
Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power? Access the full discussion on the defunding of U.S. soft power institutions, cuts to foreign aid, and the embrace of an aggressive transactional style of diplomacy in the first months of 2025.
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Full Podcast Episodes
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.
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.
AUG 6, 2025 • Podcast
Living a Moral Life in a Catastrophic World, with Philosopher Travis Rieder
Moral philosopher Travis Rieder joins "Values & Interests" to explore how we might pursue ethical lives in an era of global crisis.
JUL 15, 2025 • Podcast
Investing in Your Ethical Infrastructure, with Simon Longstaff
The Ethics Centre's Simon Longstaff discusses the power of moral inquiry, performative vs. good-faith engagement, and how ethics can help to address global challenges.
JUN 17, 2025 • Podcast
Empowerment, Ownership, & Agency: Building an Inclusive AI Future, with Jimena Viveros
Lawyer and AI expert Jimena Viveros explores why bridging the digital divide between the Global South and North is both a moral and economic imperative.
MAY 20, 2025 • Podcast
Character not Compliance, with Edward Brooks
Oxford's Dr. Edward Brooks joins "Values & Interests" to discuss how embracing ethics can unlock better thinking, relationships, and outcomes in our personal and professional lives.
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.
APR 8, 2025 • Podcast
Doubling Down on Values in a Moment of Crisis, with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Hertling discusses lessons in leadership, embracing your professional ethos, and the importance of staying true to your values in times of crisis.
MAR 18, 2025 • Podcast
Small States, Mutual Respect, and the Future of the International System, with Ambassador Ali Naseer Mohamed
Ambassador Ali Naseer Mohamed, permanent representative of the Maldives to the UN, discusses the vital role of small states at this critical global moment.
FEB 26, 2025 • Podcast
A World without USAID? with Andrew Natsios
Andrew Natsios, former USAID administrator, discusses humanitarianism as a moral principle and the potential geopolitical consequences of the shuttering of the aid organization.