![](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.
Follow him on LinkedIn to receive future content translating ethics, analyzing democracy, and examining our increasingly interconnected world.
Subscribe to the President's Desk Newsletter for updates and analysis from Joel
Featured Work
![Yvonne Aki-Saywerr, Laura Jay, and Victoria Cerullo](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/CARNEGIE_COUNCIL_SEPT_20_2023_162_FULL.jpg?v=1721236525)
OCT 6, 2023 • Video
Cities at the Forefront of the Climate Crisis: The Ethics of Urban Decarbonization and Climate Resilience
This in-depth panel discussion looks at how to address urban-specific climate challenges in an ethical manner. What are the latest climate policy innovations for cities?
![empty United Nations General Assembly hall](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/UN_General_Assembly_hall.jpg?v=1721236625)
MAY 22, 2023 • Article
Sitting on the Sidelines: The Global Divide on Ukraine
Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal reflects on the global divide in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
![Joel Rosenthal at the UN](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/326838/JoelRosenthalUNFeb2023.jpg?v=1721236632)
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 ...
![U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/UkraineTanks.jpg?v=1721236614)
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 ...
![](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)
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 ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/import/themes/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/289671/Schur-Event-Stage.jpg?v=1721236814)
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" ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/initiative-images/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/215130/GED22_thumbnail.jpg?v=1721236625%2C0.0108%2C0.4387)
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 ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/import/themes/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/286187/AutocratsOligarchsInternationalism.jpg?v=1721237050)
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 ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/import/themes/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/GeneralMilley.jpg?v=1721237050)
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 ...
![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/import/studio/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/277402/AmbThomasGreenfieldEvent.jpg?v=1721237051)
JUL 6, 2022 • Podcast
A Conversation with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Ethics, Diplomacy, & Public Service
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the UN, speaks about the importance of "kindness" in diplomacy, diversity in the Foreign Service, and much more.