Carnegie Council Podcasts

"I think what is morally distinct is our consciousness of the disconnect between our values, our aspirations, our capabilities, and our deliverables. We are still conscious of how much we are falling short of our aspirations."

Criminal justice is normally retrospective: You can only imprison someone for crimes they’ve already committed. But what should we do about individuals who clearly will pose threats in the future, even if they haven't done anything yet? Kim Ferzan wants to create a new class of preventive justice, separate from normal criminal law.

As authorities searched for one of the Boston Marathon bombers, the city of Boston and its suburbs were put on lockdown. Was this action justified? Does this set a dangerous precedent or should we trust the government to exercise emergency powers judiciously?

With over half of the detainees on a hunger strike, tensions are worse than ever at Guantanamo Bay. Is it finally time for the United States to close this detention camp? Or does it still serve a purpose in the country's ongoing wars?

Andrew Bacevich argues that militarism now permeates U.S. society. These attitudes emerged in the decades after the Vietnam War, and are at odds both with U.S. interests and with its founding traditions.

Very soon, "smart" technologies and "big data" will allow us to make sophisticated interventions in everyday life. Technology will create incentives to get more people to do the right thing. But how will this affect society, once political and moral dilemmas are recast as uncontroversial and easily manageable matters of technological efficiency?

Which countries will be the next big thing? Most follow a four-point cycle, says Sharma: "You have economic crisis. They carry out economic reforms. After they carry out economic reforms, some sort of boom takes place. Then complacency sets in, and then you get back to having a crisis." So beware! Economic development is extremely hard to sustain.

After a controversial election, Kenya has inaugurated Uhuru Kenyatta, who has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity, as its new president. Should Kenya, a hub for the aid community and an important Western ally, face repercussions?

In an eloquent speech, First Minister Salmond, leader of the government in Scotland, makes the case for an independent Scotland. In addition to compelling economic reasons, he argues that clearly, "the best people to take decisions about Scotland are the people who choose to live and work in Scotland."

In this fascinating conversation, Zainab Salbi discusses her personal journey from growing up in Saddam Hussein's Iraq to becoming a global champion of women's rights. She also focuses on the realities of women's lives across the Middle East and proposes constructive ways to change negatives to positives.