Richard Nephew is an American

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s and sanctions expert who is a program director at the

Center on Global Energy Policy The Center on Global Energy Policy is a research center located within the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. The center's director is Jason Bordoff, a ...

(CGEP) at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and a Senior Research Scholar teaching at

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. SIPA offers Master of I ...

. He is the author of '' The Art of Sanctions'', a book from CGEP's Columbia University Press book series. On July 5, 2022, he was named the Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption by

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

. He served in this position until January 2025.

Education

Nephew has a bachelor's degree in international affairs and a master's degree in security policy studies, both from The

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Career

After graduating from university, Nephew began at the

National Nuclear Security Administration The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a United States federal agency responsible for safeguarding national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and ef ...

where he worked on international nuclear affairs from June 2003 to June 2006. He then joined the

Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) is a bureau within the United States Department of State responsible for managing a broad range of nonproliferation and counterproliferation functions. The bureau leads U.S. efforts ...

at the State Department, staying until May 2011. Nephew was then transferred to the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

as the Director for Iranian Affairs for two years. In January 2013, he was named as the Principal Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy at the Department of State, as the lead sanctions expert in negotiations with Iran from August 2013 to December 2014. On February 1, 2015, left his career in government and joined the Center on Global Energy Policy. Additionally, Nephew served as a non-resident

senior fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

at the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

Awards

Nephew has received numerous awards from the US Department of State and the US Department of Energy, including the Secretary of State's Award for Excellence in International Security in 2008, for his work on UN Security Council Resolution.

Book

* '' The Art of Sanctions: A View from the Field'' (Columbia University Press, 2017)

Views

In September 2024, Nephew notes in the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune that “Iran sanctions campaign was immense and difficult to engineer” and “it would be extraordinarily difficult to do it again.”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nephew, Richard Living people Columbia School of International and Public Affairs faculty 21st-century American non-fiction writers American political writers Year of birth missing (living people)