Carnegie Council Video Podcast

What are the ethical implications of autonomous weapons? Can artificial intelligence adequately mirror human judgement? Paul Scharre, director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, sets out to answer these questions.

What will future wars look like? As technology and artificial intelligence advance quickly, the possibility that machines could independently select and engage targets without human intervention is fast approaching. Former U.S. Army Ranger Paul Scharre illustrates the complex ethical questions behind these new weapons with the story of when his sniper team encountered a little girl in the mountains of Afghanistan, walking with her goats. Can we use this new technology without losing our humanity in the process?

Professor Qin Gao, director of Columbia's China Center for Social Policy, explains the workings of the Chinese "Dibao" (limited income guarantee) system. "Dibao is doing relatively better than many other similar programs in developing countries," says Gao, yet it has limitations and some negative aspects. She also discusses Xi Jinping's ambitious goal to eradicate poverty by 2020, and the benefits of a Universal Basic Income (UBI)system.

Growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa, Robert Bank cared about social injustice from an early age. Today he travels the world for AJWS, working with local activists on a range of issues such as women's rights in India and LGBT rights in Uganda. "My job—very much like a conductor of an orchestra in some way—is to ensure that every instrument has its beautiful voice heard and that this melody is given the opportunity to really soar."

What are the qualities and conditions that enable people to become successful peacemakers? At a time when peace seems elusive and conflict endemic, Bruce Jentleson makes a forceful and inspiring case for the continued relevance of statesmanship and diplomacy and provides practical guidance to 21st-century leaders seeking lessons from some of history's most accomplished negotiators, activists, and trailblazers.

Are there such things as timeless principles of grand strategy? If so, are they always the same across epochs and cultures? What can we learn from reading the classics, such as Thucydides, Sun Tzu, and Clausewitz? "The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing," according to Isaiah Berlin. Which type makes better strategists, or do you need to be a bit of both? John Lewis Gaddis has some wise and thoughtful answers.

Harvard's Yascha Mounk argues that liberalism and democracy are coming apart, creating new forms of illiberal democracy (democracy without rights) and undemocratic liberalism (rights without democracy). Populist leaders are flourishing; indeed, Hungary is on the verge of descending into dictatorship, with shamefully little criticism from the Europe or the U.S. What are the causes of this phenomenon? What can we do about it?

For over two decades, John Lewis Gaddis has co-taught a legendary seminar in strategic thinking at Yale. Drawing on lessons from history and the classics from Thucydides to Lincoln to FDR, Professor Gaddis warns his students against leaders who dare to improvise and those who do not listen or learn. In this clip, Professor Gaddis explains how a "grand strategy" works in the real world. Referencing Isaiah Berlin's famous essay, who is more primed for success: the fox who knows many things or the hedgehog who knows one big thing?

The revelations about the misuse of Facebook data have started a pushback against the top five big tech companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. How do approaches to privacy and data use differ in the U.S., Europe and China? What kind of transparency should we demand? How will AI affect workers? All this and more in a lively and informative discussion with author and "Financial Times" columnist Rana Foroohar.

Some unpleasant truths for liberals, from William Galston: The rise of anti-pluralist populist movements is caused by a combination of economic factors and migration; we need to take these concerns seriously, instead of feeling morally superior. In the U.S., this will require reintegrating our economy so that small towns and rural areas thrive again; breaking through government gridlock; and purging the "poison" of our immigration policies.