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.
Subscribe to the President's Desk Newsletter for updates and analysis from Joel
Featured Work
NOV 21, 2013 • Podcast
Symposium at the Scottish Parliament: From War to a Global Ethic
Is it possible to create a global code of ethics? In this Carnegie Council Centennial Symposium at the Scottish Parliament, the panelists discuss Andrew Carnegie's ...
NOV 12, 2013 • Podcast
Citizenship Within and Across Nations
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah explores the role of civic honor, and its negative counterpart, shame, in shaping the political behavior of individuals and of nations, ...
OCT 28, 2013 • Article
A Letter to Andrew Carnegie on the Eve of the Council's Centennial
From our vantage point 100 years on, Andrew Carnegie got some things right and others wrong; but the core issue remains the same. "Today's Carnegie Council ...
OCT 16, 2013 • Article
A Letter to Andrew Carnegie on the Eve of the Council‘s Centennial
Dear Mr. Carnegie, As the current president of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, it is my privilege to report to you on ...
SEP 24, 2013 • Article
Ethics Primer Part II: Concepts and Methodologies
The core of ethics and international affairs can be accessed through three normative concepts: pluralism; rights and responsibilities; and fairness. A standard method of inquiry ...
SEP 24, 2013 • Article
Ethics Primer Part I: Background and Theories
The discipline of ethics begins with Socrates’ question: How should one live? Ethics is about choice. What values guide us? What standards do we use? ...
SEP 23, 2013 • Article
Threats Beyond the Headlines
“The Fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” So begins Isaiah Berlin’s essay, “The Hedgehog and Fox.” One year after ...
AUG 19, 2013 • Article
Life, Money, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The day after the Moore, Oklahoma tornado of 2013, a single image dominated media coverage: a photo of the two-foot thick concrete and steel bank vault ...
AUG 19, 2013 • Article
Life, Money, and the Pursuit of Happiness
"The pursuit of wealth will continue to be the engine of American society. But let's not forget that the pursuit of happiness demands more. The ...
JUN 25, 2013 • Podcast
Sir Adam Roberts on "Democracy, Sovereignty and Terror"
Roberts discusses his book on Sri Lankan statesman Lakshman Kadirgamar, who fought against the terrorism of the Tamil Tigers and was assassinated by them in 2005. ...