Carnegie Council Podcasts

Asia Society's Isaac Stone Fish is working on a novel set in Pyongyang, but he's also looking for the truth in the "world's most opaque country." Why does he think the North Koreans are acting rationally? What are the possible outcomes if tensions continue to rise between Kim and Trump?

The U.S. and China have fundamentally different priorities regarding the Korean Peninsula, explains Asia expert Rapp-Hooper. "So, by subcontracting North Korea policy to China," she says, "I think the United States is evincing some amount of naïveté on how far Beijing is likely to actually be willing to go."

How should companies strategize in the age of "Brump" (shorthand for Brexit and Trump)? Should they think locally rather than globally? Are trade wars inevitable, and if so, how will they affect countries large and small? Don't miss this analysis from economist Pankaj Ghemawat.

"This has happened before where we've had a great power who is essentially the leader of the international system taking a transactional approach. The closest example would be maybe Bismarck in the 1870s until the eve of World War I. There it worked quite well. . . . The drawbacks of this, of course, are that it is highly unstable."

"I still believe that we're heading toward a renewable resource-based economy. I think that it's inevitable," declares Steven Cohen. How will we get there? A combination of market forces as renewables become cheaper, better technology, and the sharing economy.

Across the world today, there is active hostility towards experts, says Tom Nichols of the U.S. Naval War College, and this is a very dangerous trend. Donald Trump didn't create this, but he certainly weaponized it politically, just as Brexiteers did in the UK.

The result of a war with China? "At best we have to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on weapons nobody will use which are badly in need of nation building at home; at worst, we get into a war with a major power that has nuclear weapons."

"Unless we are able to overcome our strategic attention deficit disorder for lack of a better phrase, and unless we are able to not only compete anew economically in the region, but also shape a constructive economic agenda in the region, I fear that that perception of American disengagement will only intensify," says Atlantic Council Fellow Ali Wyne.

The soldier "is at once the most and the least civilized of persons," says Carnegie Council Senior Fellow Reed Bonadonna. In this thoughtful conversation, he discusses his new book; military ethics through the ages; and the relationship between the army, the state, and the culture at large, both past and present.

Waleed Alhariri of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies discusses the Center's new report on U.S. covert attacks against al Qaeda and other radical groups in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. He then focuses on Yemen, a nation suffering from internal conflict, intervention by a Saudi-led coalition, and a cholera epidemic. Humanitarian assistance is sorely needed, says Alhariri and explains what the...

Next time on Global Ethics Forum, filmmaker Shalini Kantayya discusses her film "Catching the Sun" and the growing renewable energy industry in America. In this excerpt, Kantayya talks with journalist Stephanie Sy about the positive effect that solar power can have on the middle class in both red states and blue states.

Until very recently, the United Nations selected its secretary-general entirely behind closed doors. Yvonne Terlingen, of the 1 for 7 Billion Find the Best UN Leader campaign, explains how the system has been made much more transparent and democratic: for example, candidates' names and resumes are promptly made available, women are encouraged to apply, and there is even some civil society particip...

"Oceans dominate the world," says Admiral Stavridis. After all, 70 percent of the globe is covered by water. In this masterly overview of the seven seas, he touches on the maritime battles that changed history; current geopolitics from the South China Sea to the Mediterranean; and the fact that environmentally, the oceans are "the largest crime scene in the world."

Next time on Global Ethics Forum, Revered Robert Chase discusses his work with Intersections International, bringing people together across lines of difference. In this excerpt, Reverend Chase tells journalist Randall Pinkston how Barack Obama helped to inspire the founding of Intersections.

What happens when Sweden, one of the most welcoming countries on Earth for migrants, simply runs out of beds? What are the unpleasant (and politically incorrect) truths about the difficulties of assimilation in Europe? How can we have honest policy discussions about this? Author James Traub has been spending time in Sweden, France, and Germany and has given these sensitive issues much thought. Don...

This discussion brings together some of the brightest minds of the next generation of leaders and places them in the crucible of an imagined future that will test their thinking about the world vision they want to work towards.

In this timely event, Floyd Abrams, a noted lawyer and award-winning legal scholar specializing in First Amendment issues, examines the degree to which American law protects free speech more often, more intensely, and more controversially than is the case anywhere else in the world, including democratic nations such as Canada and England.

Carnegie Council's Devin Stewart talks with Admiral John Richardson, the U.S. Navy's most senior-ranking officer. Topics include strategy; the security challenges the Navy faces today, focusing particularly on the Pacific; and the need for a bigger Navy. Admiral Richardson also discusses the Navy's core values: honor, courage and commitment.

Next time on Global Ethics Forum, Harvard professor James T. Kloppenberg discusses the violent history of self-rule in Europe and the United States. In this excerpt, Kloppenberg explains the connection between Europe's wars of religion in the 16th and 17th centuries and democracy in early America.

Diversity is a strength in some societies. In others, it is a source of unresolved tension that can erupt into fear, hatred, and violence. Hear from Lee C. Bollinger, Jelani Cobb, Paola Mendoza, Derryck Green, and Jhoshan Jothilingam. This program is part of the Shades of Red and Blue series, presented by The Ethics Centre, and co-sponsored by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affai...

The hardening of America's borders is an essential part of Trump's agenda. But will this make the United States a safer and more prosperous nation? Hear from Jamil Dakwar, Sana Mustafa, Yael Eiesenstat, Oz Sultan, and Chadwick Moore. This program is part of the Shades of Red and Blue series, presented by The Ethics Centre, and co-sponsored by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affair...

Asha Castleberry, Fordham professor and U.S. Army veteran, gives detailed updates of the campaigns against ISIS in Mosul and Raqqa and the endlessly complicated Syrian Civil War. She also discusses the ups and downs of Trump's strategy in the Middle East and the influence of Secretary Mattis and National Security Advisor McMaster.

Next time on Global Ethics Forum, best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari discusses the ethical implications of the next phase of human development. In this excerpt, Harari explains how new technologies and intelligent design will have unintended consequences.

What explains the global resurgence of populism and the rise of political actors on the right? And what are the effects on longstanding alliances, international institutions, and accepted norms? Don't miss this lively conversation with Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, and international affairs expert Walter Russell Mead.

When the Nixon administration fell into a chasm of disgrace, many felt that not only the Republican Party had been tarnished, but the presidency itself. Yet, the "ship of state" remained on an even keel. Can America still govern itself effectively?