Carnegie Council Podcasts

Cryptocurrencies are dominating headlines with El Salvador recently announcing Bitcoin as the country's legal tender and Biden and Putin discussing ransomware and crypto at their Geneva meeting this week. NYU Stern’s Professor David Yermack joins Carnegie Council Senior Fellows Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss how an experimental digital currency may change the definition of the nation-state over the next decade. Will we be citizens of the country of Google or Amazon?

What is grand strategy? What differentiates it from normal strategic thought? What, in other words, makes it "grand"? In answering these questions, most scholars have focused on diplomacy and warfare, but the most thorough interpretations consider the bases of peace and security--including gender, race, the environment, and a wide range of cultural, social, political, and economic issues. Oregon State's Christopher McKnight Nichols, editor of "Rethinking American Grand Strategy," joins Senior Fellows Nikolas Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss these issues and much more.

The post-World War II liberal order faces unprecedented upheaval as countries and their leaders retreat from globalism, embrace nationalism, and attack democratic norms. Whether it’s Bolsonaro in Brazil, Orbán in Hungary, or Modi in India—illiberalism is on the rise. Carnegie Council President Joel H. Rosenthal hosts a virtual panel to assess the current threats against democracy; discuss steps to support a revival of democratic values globally; and finally, examine the question: Is democracy an ethical standard?

Advocating for press freedom around the globe has long been a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. The Trump administration changed the rules, but what can Biden do to restore the public's faith in the press? "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin speak with Stephen J. Adler, board chair of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Carlos Martínez de la Serna, program director for Committee to Protect Journalists.

How is the new global digital economy taking form? What are the trade-offs? Who are the stakeholders? How do we build “participatory intelligence”? In this wide-ranging AI & Equality Initiative podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen speaks with Carnegie-Uehiro Fellow Wendell Wallach about the history of computational and human ethics and their synergies and conflicts, the growing impact of AI on society, how to make sure that this technology works for everyone, and much more. Wendell Wallach has occupied a unique role in the evolution of AI ethics and shares creative insights on how we ought to tackle the challenges brought to the fore by the bio/digital revolution.

Sanctions are becoming an increasingly important part of the Biden administration's foreign policy toolkit. Carnegie Council Senior Fellows Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin discuss their impact and effectiveness, looking at the latest moves vis-à-vis Russia, China, Iran, and more with Center for a New American Security's Rachel Ziemba.

Susan Sloan is the author of "A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World." With organizations facing challenges of the pandemic, diversifying the workforce, and the spread of fast-paced technology, Sloan discusses why gender diversified leadership, at all levels, redefines how we solve critical problems. How can women be more involved in diplomacy? What skills and knowledge do they bring to the table?

Jonathan Cristol, author of "The United States and the Taliban before and after 9/11," discusses ethics and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in the latest in a series of talks with host Alex Woodson. Is President Biden making the correct choice? What does it mean for the U.S. to end the Afghanistan War "honorably"? What are the prospects for women's rights after the withdrawal?

Nahal Toosi, foreign policy and national security writer at Politico, returns to speak with Carnegie Council Senior Fellows Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin about how Biden is merging foreign and domestic policy, making sometimes surprising allies and partners (e.g. Modi's India), and rushing to do it all before mid-term campaigning gets in full swing.

How can we make migration more ethical? Columbia University's Professor Michael Doyle, also a senior fellow at Carnegie Council, discusses the Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC), which is focused on creating "a better set of rules for the movement of people across borders." Doyle and host Alex Woodson also touch on the Biden administration and the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected migration across the world.