![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/people/_400x400_crop_center-center_none_ns/Joel-Roesnthal-headshot-BG.jpg?v=1722357712)
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 28, 2011 • Podcast
Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2011
In this lively discussion, economist Daniel Altman, political scientist/risk expert Ian Bremmer, and economic and political analyst Zachary Karabell present what each sees as ...
NOV 15, 2010 • Podcast
The U.S. Navy's New Energy Revolution
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is working to chart a new course for the Navy and Marine Corps, that by 2020 will dramatically reduce the ...
![CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/deekay304/4647022764/">Deekay304</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC</a>)](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/Peace_2023-04-10-052726_zfka.jpg?v=1721244992)
AUG 24, 2010 • Article
Is Peace Worth Fighting For?
Peace is worth fighting for--but that doesn't mean a blank check for military options, writes Joel Rosenthal. There are better, smarter, more moral ways to ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/series-images/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/108725/pres-desk_thumbnail-1.jpg?v=1721236520%2C0.006%2C0.4744)
AUG 20, 2010 • Article
Can We Succeed Where Carnegie Failed?
The same Dunfermline-born Andrew Carnegie who spent his wealth on funding libraries and other grand institutions across Britain and America died a disappointed man, having ...
![Cartoon by Art Young. Carnegie Council Archive](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/Andrew-Carnegie-Cartoon_2023-03-03-053106_eqrk.jpg?v=1721244994)
AUG 20, 2010 • Article
Can We Succeed Where Carnegie Failed?
Carnegie's belief was that nations could resolve disputes without resorting to war. He worked hard to create mechanisms for achieving peace, but his hopes were ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/series-images/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/108725/pres-desk_thumbnail-1.jpg?v=1721236520%2C0.006%2C0.4744)
AUG 18, 2010 • Article
Is Peace Worth Fighting For?
Transcript of a speech at a August 18, 2010 Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics event, “Is Peace Worth Fighting For?“ “My remarks today are inspired not ...
JUL 27, 2010 • Podcast
Taiwan: Building Partnerships for Asia-Pacific Economic Integration
Since 2008, Taiwan has quietly pursued new political and economic initiatives with China, and the likelihood of conflict across the Taiwan Strait has diminished. What are ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/series-images/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/108725/pres-desk_thumbnail-1.jpg?v=1721236520%2C0.006%2C0.4744)
JAN 19, 2010 • Article
Obama and God
As President Obama completes his first year in office, little attention has been given to a question that sparked raucous argument during the campaign. How ...
![Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/4097699785/" target="_blank">U.S. Army</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC</a>)](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/feature_Obama_JoelArticle1_2023-04-10-053027_cesi.jpg?v=1721250484)
JAN 19, 2010 • Article
Obama and God
As President Obama completes his first year in office, little attention has been given to a question that sparked raucous argument during the campaign. How ...
![Taiwan Presidential Building<br>Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/letrainfalldown/3127713926/" target="_blank">letrainfalldown</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC</a>)](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/import/studio/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/feature_TaiwanPresidentialBldg.jpg?v=1721237314)
DEC 22, 2009 • Podcast
East Asian Security and Democracy: The Place of Taiwan
Taiwan has transformed itself into a prosperous, vibrant democracy, and recently tensions between Taiwan and China have lessened. As the balance of power between the ...