Carnegie Council Video Podcast

If you wish to understand the depth and breadth of the geographical, historical, technological, and political forces that are shaping our world, there is no better guide than Robert Kaplan. Using Marco Polo's journey as "a geographical framing device for Eurasia today," he examines China's ambitious One Belt One Road project, dissecting China's imperial dream and its multiple, under-reported objectives.

Automation is causing the greatest shift in human history and will put millions of Americans out of work, says entrepreneur and 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. His solution? Put human values before GDP and provide a universal basic income of $1,000 a month, funded by a 10 percent value-added tax (VAT). This is not a government program, he argues, but a dividend given to we the people, who are the owners of this country.

Best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan describes America’s current role as a function of the immense power of the U.S. Navy. This provides great value to other nations as the United States protects the free flow of trade and is, in essence, America’s brand. But what happens if the value of the brand deteriorates?

Professional diplomats are made not born, says Nicholas Kralev of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy. It's not enough to be a people person: training is needed in specific skills. Sadly, many Americans don't realize how diplomats' successes or failures can affect their own security and prosperity. Even U.S. presidents often don't appreciate the Foreign Service. And under Trump, State Department professionals are leaving in droves.

"The United States today is starting to display destructive political dynamics much more typically associated with developing countries: ethno-nationalist movements, the erosion of trust in our institutions and electoral outcomes, and above all, the transformation of democracy into an engine of zero-sum political tribalism."

We have made tremendous progress, but there's still a long way to go, says Melanne Verveer, head of Georgetown's Institute for Women, Peace and Security and former ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. She looks forward to the day when "women's issues" are no longer seen as marginal, but as a mainstream component of peace and prosperity.

Can tyranny happen here? asks historian Timothy Snyder. His chilling answer is, "it can happen, it happens to people like us, and it is happening now." How can we fight back? Snyder offers 20 lessons; the first is the most important, as if we fail in this one it will be too late for the others: "Don't obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given." Have the courage to take a stand--easy to say, but difficult to do.

Author Gregg Easterbrook says that statistics on income, poverty, and food availability keep going up, much to the surprise of many Americans.

No more euphemisms and denials, says Rob Riemen in this frightening and inspiring talk. Call it by its name: fascism. Neither technology, nor economic growth, nor political activism can fix this, he continues. We must create a new counterculture that replaces kitsch and conformism with truth, empathy, beauty, and justice.

Rob Riemen's recent book "To Fight Against This Age" comes at exactly the right moment. For some time now, we have been witnessing the gradual erosion of longstanding moral values, both in Europe and in America, a slow and steady weakening of critical institutions, a dismantling of what has been built rather than creating something new. In this clip, Riemen, founder of the Nexus Institute, goes even further and says what many politicians, pundits, and academics are afraid to say: We are looking at a new class of fascist leaders, from Putin to Erdoğan to Trump.