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
SEP 9, 2021 • Podcast
Twenty Years Since 9/11: Grey Wars, American Values, & the Future of National Security
In the 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, national security decisions have tested the values of American democracy. This panel, hosted by Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal, ...
AUG 23, 2021 • Article
The Ethics of Exit from Afghanistan
Carnegie Council President Joel H. Rosenthal discusses the post-9/11 evolution from counterterrorism to counterinsurgency and analyzes the ethics surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. ...
JUN 9, 2021 • Podcast
Illiberal Democracy on the Rise: Examining Brazil, Hungary, & India
The post-World War II liberal order faces unprecedented upheaval as countries and their leaders retreat from globalism, embrace nationalism, and attack democratic norms. Whether it’...
JUN 2, 2021 • Article
Narrowing Hearts and Minds: Diagnosing the Global Rise of Illiberal Democracy
From Hungary to India to Brazil to the United States, there is no doubt that illiberalism is on the rise, writes Joel Rosenthal, president of ...
APR 16, 2021 • Podcast
Are Americans Facing an Undemocratic Future? with Jason Stanley
U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point. As America emerges from the January 6th assault on the Capitol, society faces a critical question: ...
APR 6, 2021 • Article
Are Americans Facing an Undemocratic Future?
Faith in democracy is waning, and the events of the past year have done little to inspire confidence. Today, the presumption of democracy as an ...
MAR 29, 2021 • Podcast
ICGAI Catalyzing Cooperation: Working Together Across AI Governance Initiatives
This is the kick-off event for the International Congress for the Governance of Artificial Intelligence (ICGAI) online speaker series. This first event is focused on "...
MAR 23, 2021 • Podcast
Global Ethics Review: COVID-19 & International Relations, Part Two
In this new podcast series, we'll be connecting Carnegie Council's work and current events with our senior fellows, senior staff, and friends of our organization. ...
MAR 17, 2021 • Podcast
Global Ethics Review: COVID-19 & International Relations, Part One
In this new podcast series, we'll be connecting Carnegie Council's work and current events with our senior fellows, senior staff, and friends of our organization. ...
FEB 18, 2021 • Podcast
Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City, with Rosa Brooks
In 2015, Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University, applied to become a sworn, armed reserve police officer with the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department. ...