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.
Rosenthal is editor-in-chief of the Ethics & International Affairs journal published by Cambridge University Press. His 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. His current writing and commentary can be found at the President’s Desk.
Rosenthal 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. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University and BA from Harvard University.
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Featured Work
JAN 26, 2005 • Article
Accountability: How to Treat Unlawful Combatants
"If I were giving President Bush advice for his second term, I would argue that the new administration ought to establish an accountability mechanism--a task ...
NOV 5, 2004 • Article
Realism Reconsidered: A Tribute to James Chace
“James is somebody whom I admire for his many virtues. It is appropriate that we appear here tonight under the banner of “ethics.” James is ...
NOV 5, 2004 • Article
In Memoriam: James Chace
"In his numerous studies on American history and foreign policy, including some splendid shorter review essays, Chace--an old-fashioned liberal in his politics--essentially propounded a "realist" ...
NOV 2, 2004 • Article
New Rules for War?
In launching a campaign to disarm and liberate Iraq, the United States has crossed, some say hurdled across, two thresholds—one strategic, the other diplomatic. ...
NOV 2, 2004 • Article
New Rules for War?
"The old rules are fine. They give us all the normative guidance we need. But that said, these old rules and the principles they instantiate ...
AUG 31, 2004 • Article
Ask the Candidates—and Ourselves
Election seasons are a time of bromides—easy claims of moral clarity and virtue. Yet elections can also heighten our awareness of important issues, encouraging ...
AUG 31, 2004 • Article
Feature Articles from Inprint Newsletter (2001–2004): Ask the Candidates--and Ourselves
Election seasons are a time of easy claims of moral clarity and virtue. Yet elections can also heighten our awareness of important issues, encouraging sharp ...
JUN 16, 2004 • Podcast
1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs: The Election That Changed the Country
James Chace looks back at the 1912 presidential elections and their effect on U.S. foreign policy.
MAY 6, 2004 • Article
From the Margins to the Mainstream: A Blueprint for Ethics and International Affairs
For me, the way into the study of ethics and international affairs begins with the concept of choice. Ethics is a reflection on the choices ...
MAY 6, 2004 • Article
Feature Articles from Inprint Newsletter (2001–2004): From the Margins to the Mainstream: A Blueprint for Ethics and International Affairs
"For me, the way into the study of ethics and international affairs begins with the concept of choice", says Rosenthal. "Ethics is a reflection on ...