Joel H. Rosenthal

President, Carnegie Council

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.

Featured Work

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. ...

Detail from book cover.

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. ...

Detail from book cover.

FEB 10, 2021 Podcast

The Good American: The Epic Life of Bob Gersony, the U.S. Government's Greatest Humanitarian, with Robert D. Kaplan

In his long career as a journalist covering the Cold War and its aftermath, best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan often crossed paths with Bob Gersony. ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/a6kuVE">Carlos Reusser</a>/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">Public Domain</a>

DEC 7, 2020 Podcast

Vaccine Ethics: What Are We Learning from COVID-19?

As the race for COVID–19 vaccines enters its next stage, we are faced with broad ethical challenges, along with specific questions of principle and practice. ...

SEP 23, 2020 Podcast

The Last Million: Europe's Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War, with David Nasaw

The aftershocks of World War II did not end with German capitulation in May 1945. Millions were displaced, including concentration camp survivors, POWs, slave laborers, political ...

SEP 14, 2020 Transcript

Protests in Perspective: The Protests Go Global, with Mary L. Dudziak & Brenda Gayle Plummer

The killing of George Floyd and the wave of protests that followed bring to life the current struggle for civil rights, human rights, and social ...

JUN 15, 2020 Podcast

The Ethics of the Coronavirus Lockdown, with Christian Barry

Due to COVID-19, significant restrictions have been placed on freedoms to move about in many nations. Philosopher Christian Barry explores how the costs of these ...

JUN 8, 2020 Podcast

Mysterious Machines: The Road Ahead for AI Ethics in International Security, with Arthur Holland Michel

How do we learn to trust AI systems and what are the implications of this technology as nations confront mass protests in a post-pandemic world?

MAY 22, 2020 Podcast

Agile Global Governance, Artificial Intelligence, & Public Health, with Wendell Wallach

The rapid development of emerging technologies like AI signaled a new inflection point in human history, accompanied by calls for agile international governance. With the ...