Ethics on Film: Discussion of "Mountainhead"

For those dedicated to humanitarianism, 2025 marks an inflection point, one that requires us to grapple with the question: How might we re-envision humanitarian aid? In the keynote event of Global Ethics Day 2025, a panel of experts explored vital questions around power, accountability, and the need for greater inclusivity in the design, funding, and delivery of humanitarian aid, both today and into the future.  For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/ged-reenvisioning-humanitarianism

What is the cost of America pursuing a strategy of military primacy post-WWII? Peter Harris, associate professor at Colorado State University, joins the "Values & Interests" podcast to discuss what a less militarized future might look like for the U.S. and the impact of the Trump administration on American foreign policy. Harris' latest book is "Why America Can't Retrench (And How it Might)." For more, please go to: https://www.carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-peter-harris

The defunding of U.S. soft power institutions, significant cuts to foreign aid, and the embrace of an aggressive transactional style of diplomacy have shattered long-held assumptions about American values and its interests on the world stage. This begs the question: Has Trump 2.0 ushered in an era of post-liberal American power? In the first panel in Carnegie Council's new keynote event series, "Values & Interests," an expert panel interrogates the relationship between morality and power in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.  For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-post-liberal-american-power

Seven months into Trump's second term, liberal principles hang in the balance. Bringing these norms back to life will require courage and the power of states, businesses, institutions, and the people, says Carnegie Council President Joel Rosnenthal in this "Ethical Article." To read this article, pleae go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/post-liberal-ethics-rosenthal

The race to develop the latest AI-enabled military technology is often justified as essential to preserving democracy. Yet, this “virtuous” messaging deployed by tech CEOs and venture capitalists is driving the creation of a new highly militarized tech ecosystem—one which relies on perpetual conflict to test, iterate, and improve weapons systems. Elke Schwarz, professor at Queen Mary University of London, joins the "Values & Interests" podcast to unpack the virtue signaling of today’s techno-military-industrial-complex, society’s failure to cultivate ethical thought in an increasingly computational world, and the resulting dehumanization of civilians in conflicts in places such as Gaza and Ukraine. For more, please go to https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-schwarz

How can the U.S. pursue a realist foreign policy without abandoning its core values? Alexander Vindman, retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former director for European Affairs on the White House’s National Security Council, joins the "Values & Interests" podcast for a discussion on the critical interplay between morality and power in the practice of geopolitics. Together with host Kevin Maloney, Vindman discusses the shifting U.S. foreign policy landscape, President Trump's increasingly transactional approach to international relations, and what a just end to the war in Ukraine might look like. Alexander Vindman's latest book is "The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine." For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-vindman

Moral philosopher Travis Rieder joins "Values & Interests" to explore how we might pursue ethical lives in an era of global crisis. From climate change and violent conflict to the dilemmas of daily life, Rieder argues that we must radically overhaul our outdated moral toolkits to face the challenges of an increasingly contradictory and catastrophic world. Dr. Travis Rieder is an associate research professor at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. His latest book is "Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices." For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-rieder

For the latest episode of "Values & Interests," Dr. Simon Longstaff, executive director of The Ethics Centre, visits Carnegie Council for a wide-ranging conversation on the power of moral inquiry, performative vs. good-faith engagement with those you disagree with, and how ethics can help to address global challenges such as climate change. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-longstaff

In this "Ethical Article" Alex Woodson reviews HBO's "Mountainhead," discussing ethical issues around emerging tech and the power and influence of billionaires.  To read this review, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/ethics-on-film-mountainhead

What will it take to build an inclusive technological future? International lawyer and AI expert Jimena Viveros joins Values & Interests to explore why bridging the digital divide between the Global South and North is both a moral and economic imperative. Viveros shares her vision for a grassroots movement in the Global South that empowers communities to address today’s needs while building an innovation ecosystem for the future. For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-viveros