
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

APR 24, 2020 • Podcast
Health Data, Privacy, & Surveillance: How Will the Lockdowns End? with Effy Vayena & Jeffrey Kahn
How should we think about privacy and government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic? Johns Hopkins' Jeffrey Kahn and ETH Zurich's Effy Vayena discuss health data ...

APR 17, 2020 • Podcast
Fractured Globalization & Dissolving Ethics, with Nikolas Gvosdev
If global interconnections begin to fray in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, what happens to the ethical underpinnings of international relations? Senior Fellow Nikolas ...
FEB 4, 2020 • Podcast
Do Morals Matter? Presidents & Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, with Joseph Nye
How much do morals matter for U.S. presidents when it comes to international affairs? What are the ethics of "America First" or 2003 invasion of ...
FEB 25, 2019 • Podcast
How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy, with Johanna Hanink
Why has there been a sudden interest in Thucydides, especially in the U.S.? Johanna Hanink discusses her new book of translations and introductions to ...

DEC 7, 2018 • Podcast
Control and Responsible Innovation of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence's potential for doing good and creating benefits is almost boundless, but equally there is a potential for doing great harm. This panel discusses ...

DEC 5, 2018 • Article
Misconnecting with the U.S. Public: Narrative Collapse and U.S. Foreign Policy
For the past year, the U.S. Global Engagement program has focused its attention on the continuing strengths and weaknesses of the narratives that can ...
OCT 22, 2018 • Podcast
Wellbeing in Northern Ireland, 20 Years After the Good Friday Agreement, with Senator George J. Mitchell
"Much has been said and written about the long and difficult road that led us to the Agreement in April of 1998. Many have deservedly received ...
OCT 22, 2018 • Transcript
An Introduction to "Wellbeing in Northern Ireland" with Carnegie UK Trust's Martyn Evans
When Andrew Carnegie set up the Carnegie UK Trust, his mandate was short and to the point: Its mission is improve the wellbeing of the ...
OCT 22, 2018 • Transcript
Where is Northern Ireland Now? with Peter Weir & Máirtín Ó Muilleoir
Peter Weir of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Máirtín Ó Muilleoir of Sinn Féin give their views on the situation in Northern ...

SEP 13, 2018 • Podcast
Global Ethics Weekly: Expertise in the Era of Trump, with Joel Rosenthal
Responding to excerpts from U.S. Naval War College's Professor Tom Nichols and best-selling author and economist Dambisa Moyo--and the hostile anti-expert tone of the ...