July 9, 2026

At Carnegie Council, our work focuses on ethical decision-making in international relations and geopolitics, but questions about right and wrong also shape our everyday lives. Ethical thinking asks us to look beyond our own immediate interests and consider how our decisions affect others internationally, locally, and interpersonally.

“Ethics is about making the effort to evaluate competing points of view and then truly caring about the impact of the choices you have made,” says Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal. “Ethics is not some cure-all for the world's problems, but it is an actual process for finding solutions.”

This type of deliberation is at the heart of our work and informs our recently published Ethics in International Affairs 101 booklet. 

Featured on our expanded and newly refreshed Classroom Resources site, this booklet offers a basic view of ethics that’s perfect for students, educators, or anyone interested in understanding the values and principles that guide our choices every day.

Reflections on Meeting Koko Kondo, International Peace Advocate & Atomic Bomb Survivor

Koko Kondo survived the August 6, 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. In a recent visit to Carnegie Council, she described her journey from a survivor of the horrific bombing to international peace advocate. Kathleen Egan, senior program associate at Carnegie Council, discussed the impact of meeting Koko, both in New York City and in Japan, and the inspiration that she found in her life’s work.

“Meeting Koko taught me that the moral courage needed to face some of the world’s most entrenched issues grows not from outsourcing responsibility,” writes Egan, “but from personal commitment to creating a better world.”

Re-centering Ethics on Global Ethics Day, October 21, 2026

This year’s Global Ethics Day theme reminds us that ethics is not just an abstract area of study reserved for philosophers or academics.

Our keynote event, moderated by Asha Rangappa, senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs and former FBI special agent, will bring together a cross-sectoral group to discuss practical ways we can cultivate moral resilience and courage in our professional and personal lives.

Be sure you're opted in to receive Event Announcements—you won't want to miss it!

Read Our 2025 Annual Report: Moral Rupture—and Moral Courage

In a world defined by complexity and interdependence, meaningful progress depends on collaboration grounded in human dignity, guided by shared responsibility, and sustained by a collective commitment to moral courage. This conviction has shaped our work over the past year, and we invite you to engage, question, and build alongside us.