What is fueling the post-truth era in American politics, and why is it working?

Professor Mathias Risse of the Harvard Kennedy School argues that "gaslighting"—"persuasion through systematic besmirching, belittling, and the inversion of shared norms"—has become a dominant rhetorical force in American politics. Embraced by leaders such as Donald Trump and JD Vance, this disingenuous approach erodes the very fabric of civic life and good-faith exchange—two essential pillars for a functioning democracy.

In this episode, host Kevin Maloney and Professor Risse explore: How does gaslighting work? Why is it so effective? And what are the short- and long-term impacts on the United States?

Access all "Values & Interests" episodes: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-podcast

More on gaslighting from Professor Risse: https://carnegiecouncil.co/eia-gaslighting-risse

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In this "Ethical Article," Alex Woodson reviews Paul Thomas Anderson's Oscar-winning film "One Battle After Another." He discusses gender roles, white supremacy, and the motivations of revolutionaries.

To read this article, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/ethics-on-film-one-battle

For decades, America couched its foreign policy not only in the language of interests, but in universal values such as freedom and human rights. But what happens when that moral framing of liberal values falls away?

From the streets of Caracas to the skies over Tehran, U.S. power is no longer justified through a narrative of liberal internationalism or advanced via appeals—even performative ones—to institutions such as the UN. Instead, Trump 2.0 has embraced a more explicit "might makes right" approach that rejects universality and leans into civilizational conflict between the West and the rest.

Matias Spektor, professor and dean at Fundação Getulio Vargas's (FGV) School of International Relations, joins the Values & Interests podcast to examine the consequences of this shift in American power—and how U.S. foreign policy is being interpreted across the Global South, where many have long pointed to a gap between U.S. principles and its practices on the world stage.

For more, please go to: https://carnegiecouncil.co/values-interests-spektor