Epstein’s America: How Modern Corruption Works

Title: Epstein’s America: How Modern Corruption Works Channel: Carnegie Endowment Published: 2026-02-20 Duration: 45:25 Views: 111,333 Description: There’s a gnawing feeling in America and the West that a self-serving elite has corrupted society’s rules in its favor. The Epstein Files have finally pulled back the curtain on hidden ways that powerful people network together to advance their own interests and evade accountability. Sarah Chayes, who lived in and studied the world’s most corrupt nations, warns that the U.S. is walking the same path. In this episode of The World Unpacked, Sarah tells host Jon Bateman why systemic corruption looks nothing like how we picture it, how anti-corruption advocates are co-opted as enablers, and what to say if someone asks you for a bribe. Like and subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/38sljlH Find the episode transcript and streaming audio, and get the show direct to your inbox, here: https://carnegieendowment.org/preview/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/what-would-president-aocs-foreign-policy-be Follow Jon on X: https://x.com/JonKBateman Chapters 00:00 The Epstein Files Expose Elite Networks 01:30 What Is Corruption, Really? 02:14 The “Gift Economy” of Power 04:03 Inside Trump’s Web of Connections 07:21 Why It’s Almost Impossible to Prosecute Corruption 09:35 Has the Supreme Court Legalized It? 11:06 Trump: Aberration or Inevitable? 15:08 The Anti-Corruption Movement… That Isn’t 16:46 Why Anger at Corruption Fuels Extremism 20:06 Why We Excuse Corruption on “Our Side” 23:03 The Fatal Flaw of Partisan Loyalty 26:02 “Everyone’s Corrupt” — The Dangerous Lie 28:14 The Enablers: Banks, Think Tanks & Museums 30:23 Do Institutions Want to Win — or Survive? 32:44 The Gilded Age Is Back? 33:11 When America Actually Reduced Corruption 35:29 The Revolving Door Problem 38:03 Do Disasters Reset Corruption? 41:53 Do Elites Need to Suffer Too? 42:33 What You Can Do About Corruption The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace generates strategic ideas and independent analysis, supports diplomacy, and trains the next generation of international scholar-practitioners to help countries and institutions take on the most difficult global problems and advance peace. Visit our website: https://carnegieendowment.org/ Follow us on X: https://x.com/CarnegieEndow Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carnegieendow/