Episode 67: Is an ethical foreign policy possible in an authoritarian world?

We talk about authoritarianism a lot on this podcast and how it’s resisted from below by grassroots movements. But we haven’t yet broached what the principles are in how democratic states should operate in an increasingly dictatorial world order. In this podcast we talk to Mary Kaldor, emeritus professor of global governance at the London School of Economics, on what an ethical foreign policy should look like. Drawing on her experience advising the late Labour foreign secretary, Robin Cook, in the 1990s, she outlines the principles of a progressive foreign policy today. A critical part of this is seeing supporting pro democratic civil society movements as part of foreign policy – not simply something that is beyond what democracies should do. She also offers an explanation of the roots of American authoritarianism that goes beyond the “Trump is evil” statement and explores the problematic structures of contemporary US power.