Joel H. Rosenthal is president of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. As a nonprofit leader, scholar, and teacher he works to empower ethical action, with a particular focus on U.S. foreign policy, issues of war and peace, human rights, and pluralism. At Carnegie Council, Rosenthal leads a team that identifies critical ethical issues, convenes experts, and produces agenda-setting resources to educate and activate communities globally.
He is also editor-in-chief of the Ethics & International Affairs journal published by Cambridge University Press and serves on the advisory board for the Bard College Globalization and International Affairs program. Rosenthal’s first book Righteous Realists is an examination of the political realists who shaped post-WWII America in the nuclear age, including Hans Morgenthau, Reinhold Niebuhr, and George Kennan.
He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Studies Association for his lifetime achievement in international studies and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Social Science from the University of Edinburgh. Rosenthal received his Ph.D. from Yale University and B.A. from Harvard University.
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Featured Work
MAY 22, 2023 • Article
Sitting on the Sidelines: The Global Divide on Ukraine
As a UN vote in February revealed, the world is divided on how to respond to Russia's continuing war against Ukraine. Carnegie Council President Joel ...
MAR 2, 2023 • Article
Gandhian Trusteeship: Empathy, Mutuality, and a New Realism
On February 23, 2023, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal spoke on empathy, mutuality, realism, and in the influence of Mahatma Gandhi at an event organized by Permanent ...
FEB 6, 2023 • Article
Ethics, Escalation, and Engagement in Ukraine and Beyond
Now that HIMAR and Patriot missiles as well as Leopard and Abrams tanks are on the way to Ukraine, NATO unity is at a high ...
DEC 7, 2022 • Article
Five Moments That Will Shape Ethics in International Affairs for 2023
How can ethics help us better understand the world in 2023 and the choices we face within it? Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal discusses the FTX ...
OCT 19, 2022 • Podcast
How to Be an Ethical Individual in an Interconnected World, with Michael Schur
In this special Global Ethics Day event, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal speaks with Michael Schur, creator of the hit TV show "The Good Place" ...
OCT 13, 2022 • Article
Ethics as an Antidote
Against the bleak backdrop of war in Ukraine, climate emergency, food and energy shortages, and multiple refugee crises—true north on anyone’s moral compass ...
SEP 23, 2022 • Article
Autocrats, Oligarchs, and Us: A Moment of Crisis for Responsible Internationalism
As world leaders meet in New York for the UN General Assembly, it is clear that responsible internationalism is in crisis. Carnegie Council President Joel ...
AUG 30, 2022 • Article
General Milley's Ethical Dilemma: The Letter That Was Never Sent
More than two years after President Trump’s infamous stroll across Washington DC’s Lafayette Square Park, General Mark Milley has gone public with his ...
JUL 6, 2022 • Podcast
A Conversation with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Ethics, Diplomacy, & Public Service
In a candid conversation, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, talks with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal about her role in the ...
JUN 17, 2022 • Article
The United Nations: A Distinct and Exceptional Purpose
"The United Nations stands as the preeminent symbol and hope for the universal aspirations of human society," writes Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal in this ...
Featured Work
MAY 13, 2022 • Article
Ethics As We Know it is Gone. It's Time for Ethics Re-envisioned.
Given the troubling state of international affairs there is reason to be greatly concerned about how ethics is framed or co-opted. To meet this moment, ...
MAR 15, 2022 • Podcast
The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, with Elbridge Colby
In this wide-ranging talk, U.S. defense expert Elbridge Colby discusses the changing nature of American power with Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal. As the ...
FEB 28, 2022 • Podcast
Russia Invades Ukraine: A Principled Response
Russia's invasion of Ukraine raises several ethical questions: Why did diplomacy fail? What does the invasion mean for the principle of sovereignty? Are sanctions an ...
FEB 9, 2022 • Podcast
Where is the Public Square for the Digital Information Age? with Stelios Vassilakis
In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative" podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen and Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal sit down with the Stavros ...
JAN 6, 2022 • Article
One Year After the January 6 Insurrection, Democracy Needs a Rallying Cry
On the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, groups across society are increasingly worried about the state of democracy. But as the pressure on democracy ...
DEC 15, 2021 • Podcast
Is Militarization Essential for Security in 2022 and Beyond?
In the last 20 years, the U.S. and its allies significantly expanded their military and security infrastructures. But as America pivots from the War on ...
DEC 9, 2021 • Podcast
Ethics, Governance, and Emerging Technologies: A Conversation with the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative (AIEI)
Emerging technologies with global impact are creating new ungoverned spaces at a rapid pace. In this critical moment, frameworks and approaches to govern these technologies, ...
OCT 21, 2021 • Podcast
Global Ethics Day Special Event: On the Frontlines of Democracy
Whether it's rigging elections in Hong Kong, arresting activists in Venezuela, restricting voting access in the U.S., silencing the opposition in Belarus, or censorship ...
OCT 19, 2021 • Article
Let's Use Today to Empower Ethics and Build a Better Future
"It's clear that humanity faces a number of global-scale challenges," writes Joel Rosenthal in his Global Ethics Day message. "Although this moment may feel overwhelming, ...
SEP 10, 2021 • Article
After 20 Years of Grey Wars, a Moment to Consider a Different Course
"As we approach the 20-year commemoration of 9/11, a chapter in the history of U.S. foreign policy is closing," writes Carnegie Council President Joel H. ...