Government Ethics

List of Government Ethics articles

A smiling Putin and Schroder move to shake hands in front of a conference table.
A smiling Putin and Schroder move to shake hands in front of a conference table.

How to Stop Former Western Leaders From Becoming Paid Shills for Autocrats

From Gerhard Schröder to Tony Blair, former officials have cashed in by repping autocrats and their proxies.

A member of Hezbollah fires a gun during a funeral for some members who were killed during clashes in the Tayouneh neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on Oct. 15.
A member of Hezbollah fires a gun during a funeral for some members who were killed during clashes in the Tayouneh neighbourhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on Oct. 15.

Lebanon Is Europe’s Most Urgent Challenge

A collapsing state risks creating a catastrophic refugee crisis.

A manned walking robot developed by robotics company Korea Future Technology in Gunpo, South Korea, on Dec. 27, 2016.
A manned walking robot developed by robotics company Korea Future Technology in Gunpo, South Korea, on Dec. 27, 2016.

The World Must Regulate Tech Before It’s Too Late

We urgently need a global ethical consensus on how far technological advances can go.

Five cloned macaques at a Chinese research institution
Five cloned macaques at a Chinese research institution

China’s Biotech Boom Could Transform Lives—or Destroy Them

Washington and Beijing have a shared interest in making sure new technology stays within limits.

Migrants and refugees wrapped in survival foil blankets rest next to rescue members aboard the Topaz Responder ship run by Maltese NGO Moas and the Italian Red Cross after a rescue operation, early morning on November 5, 2016 off the coast of Libya. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)
Migrants and refugees wrapped in survival foil blankets rest next to rescue members aboard the Topaz Responder ship run by Maltese NGO Moas and the Italian Red Cross after a rescue operation, early morning on November 5, 2016 off the coast of Libya. (ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)

Europe Has Criminalized Humanitarianism

As charity workers get arrested for saving drowning migrants, Europeans are reckoning with the widening gap between their politics and morality.

A lab worker in China displays the newly developed Inactivated Vaccine for Streptococcal Disease (Type 2) in Swine at Guangdong Winsun Bio Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd on July 31, 2005 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. (China Photos/Getty Images)
A lab worker in China displays the newly developed Inactivated Vaccine for Streptococcal Disease (Type 2) in Swine at Guangdong Winsun Bio Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd on July 31, 2005 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. (China Photos/Getty Images)

China Will Always Be Bad at Bioethics

It’s no accident that the Chinese government is leading the world in medical advances — and in dangerous ethical lapses.

A Palestinian boy holds a bunch of plastic flowers as he plays on the rubble of assassinated Hamas interior minister Said Siam's apartment building during a Hamas rally in Jabalia, on January 20, 2009. Arab leaders today pledged "all forms of support for the reconstruction of Gaza" but failed to set up a specific fund for the war-battered Palestinian enclave, as they wound up a two-day summit. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)
A Palestinian boy holds a bunch of plastic flowers as he plays on the rubble of assassinated Hamas interior minister Said Siam's apartment building during a Hamas rally in Jabalia, on January 20, 2009. Arab leaders today pledged "all forms of support for the reconstruction of Gaza" but failed to set up a specific fund for the war-battered Palestinian enclave, as they wound up a two-day summit. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

How Israel Won a War but Paid a High Moral Price

A decade of targeted assassinations has pushed the boundaries of Israel's laws and military ethics — and harmed its image across the globe.

Omar Ashmawy, staff director at the Office of Congressional Ethics. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)
Omar Ashmawy, staff director at the Office of Congressional Ethics. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Head of Congressional Ethics Office Sued for Abusing Position, Accused of Assaulting Women

A key official involved in House investigations faces a federal lawsuit alleging misconduct.

A woman and baby wearing face masks walk in the Forbidden City during heavy pollution in Beijing on February 28, 2013. Beijing residents were urged to stay indoors as pollution levels soared before a sandstorm brought further misery to China's capital. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones        (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman and baby wearing face masks walk in the Forbidden City during heavy pollution in Beijing on February 28, 2013. Beijing residents were urged to stay indoors as pollution levels soared before a sandstorm brought further misery to China's capital. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones (Photo credit should read Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

As Environmental Catastrophe Looms, Is it Ethical to Have Children?

Two philosophers discuss the morality of family planning in the age of climate change.

Fire and smoke billow following a reported car bomb explosion at a Syrian pro-government position during clashes between rebel fighters and regime forces to take control of an area in the southern city of Daraa on February 20, 2017. / AFP / MOHAMAD ABAZEED        (Photo credit should read MOHAMAD ABAZEED/AFP/Getty Images)
Fire and smoke billow following a reported car bomb explosion at a Syrian pro-government position during clashes between rebel fighters and regime forces to take control of an area in the southern city of Daraa on February 20, 2017. / AFP / MOHAMAD ABAZEED (Photo credit should read MOHAMAD ABAZEED/AFP/Getty Images)

Chemical Weapons Aren’t the Real Problem in Syria

The United States cares more about the murder weapon than the murder victim.

HEMPSTEAD, NY - SEPTEMBER 26:  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump waves after the Presidential Debate with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Hofstra University on September 26, 2016 in Hempstead, New York.  The first of four debates for the 2016 Election, three Presidential and one Vice Presidential, is moderated by NBC's Lester Holt.  (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
HEMPSTEAD, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump waves after the Presidential Debate with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Hofstra University on September 26, 2016 in Hempstead, New York. The first of four debates for the 2016 Election, three Presidential and one Vice Presidential, is moderated by NBC's Lester Holt. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Five Books for a President Who Doesn’t Read

From a nonfiction book about ethics and values to a Mark Twain classic, here’s a handful of suggestions for Donald Trump’s night table.

trumpcrop
trumpcrop

Trump Hotel in Baku Partnered With ‘Notoriously Corrupt’ Oligarch Family With Ties to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

The latest conflict of interest headache for the president is a sketchy and failed hotel in Azerbaijan that’s got lawmakers worried.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 26:  The U.S. State Department is shown January 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. Four senior management team members at the State Department resigned January 25, adding to an exodus of career senior foreign service officers who have recently resigned their positions.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 26: The U.S. State Department is shown January 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. Four senior management team members at the State Department resigned January 25, adding to an exodus of career senior foreign service officers who have recently resigned their positions. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers
FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers

Welcome to President Trump’s (Un)Ethical World

The 45th president of the United States has just been sworn in. Can the mountain of potential ethical violations that he is under investigation for bring him down?

US President-elect Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a press conference January 11, 2017 at Trump Tower in New York.
Trump held his first news conference in nearly six months Wednesday, amid explosive allegations over his ties to Russia, a little more than a week before his inauguration. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY        (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
US President-elect Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a press conference January 11, 2017 at Trump Tower in New York. Trump held his first news conference in nearly six months Wednesday, amid explosive allegations over his ties to Russia, a little more than a week before his inauguration. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Dodges Questions Over Ties to Russia

The president-elect conceded Moscow hacked the U.S. election, but accused intelligence agencies of ‘Nazi’ tactics.

President-Elect Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa on December 8, 2016 during the USA Thank You Tour 2016 at the Hy-Vee Hall in the Iowa Events Center. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY        (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
President-Elect Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa on December 8, 2016 during the USA Thank You Tour 2016 at the Hy-Vee Hall in the Iowa Events Center. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Will Face ‘Wall of Resistance’ in Congress if He Gives Putin a Pass on Ukraine

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons says both parties will fight any attempt by the next administration to cozy up to Putin.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, UNITED STATES:  The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery (front row) Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai and Mission Commander Curt Brown; Payload Specialist John Glenn; (C) and Mission Specialist Pedro Duque depart the Operations & Checkout building and head to the Space Shuttle Discovery to begin their mission into space from the Kennedy Space Center, FL 29 October 1998. Glenn, 77, a Payload specialist on Discovery was the first American to orbit the earth in 1962. Discoverys crew will conduct a variety of science experiments in the pressurized SPACEHAB module and deployment and retrieval of the Spartan free-flyer payload.  AFP PHOTO Tony Ranze (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, UNITED STATES: The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery (front row) Payload Specialist Chiaki Mukai and Mission Commander Curt Brown; Payload Specialist John Glenn; (C) and Mission Specialist Pedro Duque depart the Operations & Checkout building and head to the Space Shuttle Discovery to begin their mission into space from the Kennedy Space Center, FL 29 October 1998. Glenn, 77, a Payload specialist on Discovery was the first American to orbit the earth in 1962. Discoverys crew will conduct a variety of science experiments in the pressurized SPACEHAB module and deployment and retrieval of the Spartan free-flyer payload. AFP PHOTO Tony Ranze (Photo credit should read TONY RANZE/AFP/Getty Images)

Godspeed, John Glenn. God Help Us, America.

The passing of a hero reminds us of a time when America’s leaders and aspirations inspired us.

A homless person sleeps outside the Termini train station on November 18, 2014 in Rome. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI        (Photo credit should read TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)
A homless person sleeps outside the Termini train station on November 18, 2014 in Rome. AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI (Photo credit should read TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)

Stealing Food if You’re in Need Is Not a Crime, Italian Court Finds

The decision seemed particularly unusual in contrast to the U.S. criminal justice system’s response to crimes of necessity.

BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - MARCH 13: A young African boy at work in the fields, watering maize crops just outside Bangui pictured on March 13, 2014 near Bangui, Central African Republic. (Photo by Thomas Koehler/Photothek via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - MARCH 13: A young African boy at work in the fields, watering maize crops just outside Bangui pictured on March 13, 2014 near Bangui, Central African Republic. (Photo by Thomas Koehler/Photothek via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***

The Untouchables

Why it’s getting harder to stop multinational corporations.

GettyImages-92552063
GettyImages-92552063

Public Advocates Accuse House Ethics Committee of Undermining House Ethics

Public Citizen wants the House Ethics Committee to release an independent report a trip by U.S. lawmakers to Azerbaijan.

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