Eli Karetny, PhD

Deputy Director, Ralph Bunche Institute
Lecturer, Baruch College-CUNY
ekaretny@gc.cuny.edu
@ekaretny

Eli Karetny is the RBI’s deputy director and serves as the head of programs and operations. Eli is the Principal Investigator on the Institute’s core research projects, he oversees relations with sponsors,  liaises with university administration, and serves as the Institute’s grants manager and financial officer. Eli works closely with the RBI’s Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) and played a central role establishing the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity (CSHGCAH).

After receiving a JD/MBA from Temple University, Eli served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine, then received a Masters Degree in International Relations from New York University. Eli completed his PhD in Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center under Corey Robin. His dissertation explored monarchic themes in the work of Leo Strauss, focusing especially on how Nietzsche influenced Strauss’s view that teachers and advisors possess almost superhuman powers. Eli teaches political theory and international relations at Baruch College-CUNY and advises the RBI’s Project Directors on strategic and operational issues.

Eli spent a sabbatical year in 2023-2024 researching the Bedouin of the Negev and the impact of TE Lawrence on postwar plans, but after October 7th his focus shifted to exploring how the war in Gaza fundamentally changes regional dynamics. Eli is a researcher at the Hotam School of Anthroposophy and Kabbalah, which informs his interest in how esoteric traditions and NHI influence human affairs.