Carnegie Council Audio Podcast

A new report finds that over the next 50 years, 1 to 3 billion people could be living outside the climate niche that has "served humanity well over the past 6,000 years." Tim Kohler and Marten Scheffer, co-authors of "Future of the climate niche," discuss what was surprised them in this research, what it means historically when huge populations move, and why there's reason to be hopeful about humanity's future.

The last decade has witnessed a vibrant public discussion about how to safely, ethically, and legally integrate complex artificial intelligence (AI) into modern life, particularly in the sphere of security, says Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel. How do we learn to trust AI systems that we don't understand? What are the implications of this new technology as many nations confront a combination of mass protests and the pandemic?

What do Americans think about the role the United States should be playing in the world? How do they conceive of the different trade-offs between domestic and international affairs, among competing options and sets of interests and values? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Dina Smeltz and Eurasia Group Foundation's Mark Hannah share the results of surveys from their organizations in this conversation with Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev.

How has the pandemic changed U.S-China relations? How has it altered China's relationship with other nations and its geopolitical positioning? George Washington University's Amitai Etzioni and Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev discuss these questions and more as they break down "great power competition" in the era of COVID-19.

The rapid development of emerging technologies like AI signaled a new inflection point in human history, accompanied by calls for agile international governance. With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic however, there is a new focal point in the call for ethical governance. Senior Fellow Wendell Wallach discusses his work on these issues in this interactive webinar with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal.

Countries like Syria and Libya are facing a "double" emergency right now, says the International Rescue Committee's Kelly Razzouk, as these states are having to deal with ongoing conflict, along with the COVID-19 outbreak. How has the IRC been responding to these situations? What more can the UN Security Council do?

What is "great power populism" and what does it mean during the pandemic? Are we heading towards another global conflict? And are there any leaders who can inspire the "international community" during a crisis? ADA University's Damjan Krnjević Mišković and Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev share their thoughts on the causes and characteristics of the ongoing "nervous breakdown" in the international system.

In this fascinating conversation with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal, historian Ted Widmer looks back on 13 pivotal days in Abraham Lincoln's life in 1861--the basis for his new book "Lincoln on the Verge." How would American and world history be different without Lincoln's ethical leadership? And as the U.S. struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic, what can the Civil War era teach us about political divisiveness in 2020?

The implementation of contact tracing and the collection of health data may be necessary for life to return to "normal" in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is there any way to make sure these practices don't turn into "tools of oppression"? Mona Sloane, fellow at NYU's Institute for Public Knowledge, discusses her concerns about the "normalization" of these technologies and the effect that these strategies could have on vulnerable communities.

Much like efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combatting climate change requires cooperation on a global scale. And yet the history of international climate negotiations shows just how difficult that can be. What, if anything, can we learn from the global response to the pandemic that might aid us in governing new, climate-altering technologies? Cynthia Scharf, senior strategy director of the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, shares her thoughts.

What unique ethical challenges does COVID-19 present to journalists? How might a lack of trust in media and government affect the public's response to the COVID-19 crisis? Mei Fong, director of communications and strategy at The Center for Public Integrity, and Daniel Lippman, "Politico" White House reporter, discuss these issues and much more.

How should we think about privacy and government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic? Johns Hopkins' Jeffrey Kahn and ETH Zurich's Effy Vayena discuss health data and government surveillance, focusing on contract tracing apps in Europe and immunity certificates in the United States, with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal in this virtual webinar.

As U.S. states and European nations contemplate how to end the COVID-19 quarantine, Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel discusses all aspects of surveillance and ethics. From ongoing issues in Baltimore to technologies focused on location data to the future of privacy and government regulation in a post-pandemic world, Michel and host Alex Woodson look at the current "Cambrian explosion" in surveillance technology.

If global interconnections begin to fray in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, what happens to the ethical underpinnings of international relations? Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discuss this important question and much more as solidarity begins to weaken among European Union and NATO states.

In this wide-ranging talk, Future of Privacy Forum's Brenda Leong discusses the commercial uses of facial recognition technology, concerns about privacy and bias, how it's being utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some tough questions about government surveillance. What's the future of facial recognition? How can we use this technology ethically? 

Jameson Spivack, policy associate at Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy and Technology, discusses some of the most pressing policy issues when it comes to facial recognition technology in the United States and the ongoing pandemic. Why is Maryland's system so invasive? What are other states and cities doing? And, when it comes to surveillance and COVID-19, where's the line between privacy and security?

Despite being close to the initial epicenter of the virus, Taiwan was able to contain its COVID-19 outbreak earlier in 2020. Audrey Tang, Taiwan's digital minister, explains how her office helped in this effort by fighting disinformation with some innovative ideas. What can countries like the U.S. or Italy learn from Taiwan in the battle against this pandemic?

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting all aspects of daily life around the world, what will be the effect on international relations? Will it increase cooperation among nations, or will it lead to more conflict and competition? Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev and host Alex Woodson discuss these scenarios and also touch on how the virus has affected the Democratic primary, in which Joe Biden now has a commanding lead.

On February 29, the United States and the Taliban reached an agreement that could potentially end the longest-running war in American history. Jonathan Cristol, author of "The United States and the Taliban before and after 9/11," discusses the specifics of the deal, the role of the Afghan government, women's rights, and how this all fits into the worldview of the Trump administration.

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks at the foreign policy discussions after Super Tuesday, with only Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders left with realistic chances at the Democratic nomination. When it comes to the U.S. role in the world, what are the big differences between these two candidates? Is Biden's "restorationist" agenda risky? And looking ahead to a post-Trump future, how have relationships changed between the U.S. and its allies?