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
FEB 11, 2013 • Article
Saddam’s Pistol, and Yours
In the current debate over gun regulation a simple point is being missed. Every citizen has the right to a gun. But shouldn’t every ...
NOV 29, 2012 • Podcast
Human Rights Watch: Promoting Ethical Behavior When It's Contested
It's the job of Human Rights Watch to shine a spotlight on human rights abuses worldwide, including in the U.S., says its executive director ...
OCT 5, 2012 • Podcast
Is the World Becoming More Peaceful?
In this vigorous discussion, two leading thinkers in global affairs--Harvard professor Steven Pinker and "Atlantic" correspondent Robert D. Kaplan--take on the subject of world peace, ...
SEP 19, 2012 • Article
Peace: What Is It Good For?
A speech given as part of Yale Law School’s Global Consitutionalism Seminar 2012, convening on the occasion of the Centennial of Carnegie Corporation, New York, ...
SEP 19, 2012 • Podcast
Peace: What Is it Good for?
Andrew Carnegie was ahead of his time; he questioned the essence of imperial Great Power politics and offered an alternate future. He debunked the glorification ...
SEP 19, 2012 • Transcript
Peace: What Is it Good for?
Andrew Carnegie was ahead of his time; he questioned the essence of imperial Great Power politics and offered an alternate future. He debunked the glorification ...
AUG 24, 2012 • Article
The Last Protestant?
The 2012 presidential election is surprising in one important respect. Protestants of various sects dominated national leadership until John F. Kennedy broke the barrier in 1960. Yet ...
AUG 24, 2012 • Article
The Last Protestant?
There is only one Protestant in the highest offices of U.S. politics today: Barack Hussein Obama. This new religious diversity is unpalatable to some, ...
JUN 26, 2012 • Podcast
Global Rules, Local Rulers
Carnegie UK Trust staff open up a fascinating discussion with the Carnegie Council audience on their research into the relationship between advocacy groups, citizens, and ...
MAR 27, 2012 • Article
Ethics and War in Homer's Iliad
Are the values we bring to war today really the same as they were back in the days of the warring Greeks and Trojans? Or ...