Richard Nephew
Senior Research Scholar in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs; Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs
Personal Details
Richard Nephew returned from a public service leave of absence to the Center on Global Energy Policy and Faculty of the School of International and Public Affairs on 1 July 2024.
During his most recent leave, he was the inaugural U.S. Coordinator on Global Anti-Corruption at the Department of State (2022-2024). He was also elected as the President of the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption. During his government career, he has also served as the Deputy Special Envoy for Iran (2021), Principal Deputy Coordinator for Sanctions Policy at the Department of State (2013-2015), and Director for Iran at the National Security Council (2011-2013), among other senior civil service staff roles from 2003-2011.
While a senior research scholar at SIPA since 2015, Nephew has written dozens of reports and articles for various publications focused on geopolitics and their intersection with energy markets, economic statecraft, nuclear topics, and sanctions. He is also the author of The Art of Sanctions: A View from the Field, published by Columbia University Press in 2018.
In addition to his primary appointment at CGEP, he is a Bernstein adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and operates his own consulting LLC, “Go Beyond Compliance,” working in particular with Horizon Engage as a senior advisor.
Nephew holds a Masters in Security Policy Studies and a Bachelors in International Affairs, both from The George Washington University. He is married with three children.
Education
- MA in Security Policy Studies, The George Washington University
- BA in International Affairs, The George Washington University
In The Media
"The United States should pursue more modest arrangements, like one that continues the current cease-fire agreement while opening the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining intense pressure on the Iranian system," says senior research scholar Richard Nephew.
In this Q&A, CGEP scholars Richard Nephew, Dr. Karen Young, Daniel Sternoff, and Anne-Sophie Corbeau analyze the widening crisis, including disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, impacts on Gulf energy infrastructure, and the risks to global oil and gas prices.
Richard Nephew, senior research scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs, writes: "The best chances for a deal will come with a successor regime in Tehran."
As the U.S. and Iran continue to engage indirectly in nuclear talks, Senior Research Scholar Richard Nephew, a former deputy special envoy for Iran in the Biden administration, unpacks the challenges that remain.
Senior research scholars and fellows Luisa Palacios, Richard Nephew, and Daniel Sternoff from the Center on Global Energy Policy shared their thoughts on the energy-related implications of this development.