Cliff Kupchan
{{short description|American political analyst and government officia}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cliff Kupchan
| citizenship = American
| education = Brown University
| title = American political analyst, and former government official
}}
Cliff Kupchan is an American political analyst and former government official. He is the chairman of the political risk consulting and advisory firm Eurasia Group, where he specializes in Russia and Iran. Kupchan has been described as a "leading expert" on Iran,{{cite news|last1=LeVine|first1=Steve|title=A top expert has turned pessimistic on Iran’s nuclear talks with the West|url=http://qz.com/260284/a-top-expert-has-turned-pessimistic-on-irans-nuclear-talks-with-the-west/|work=Quartz|date=September 5, 2014}} and has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin numerous times.{{cite news|last1=Woodruff|first1=Judy|title=Is Russia making a ‘costly’ mistake in its Ukraine campaign?|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/russia-making-costly-mistake-ukraine-campaign/|work=PBS Newshour|date=April 25, 2014}}
Biography
Kupchan earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University and a master's degree in political science from Stanford University.{{cite web|title=Executive Profile: Cliff Kupchan|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=39337476&privcapId=20759711|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek}}
Kupchan worked for government for many years before joining the private sector. He was senior foreign policy advisor for Eurasia on the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee.{{cite web|last1=Akhlaghi|first1=Reza|title=A Candid Discussion with Cliff Kupchan|url=http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2013/05/10/a-candid-discussion-with-cliff-kupchan/|website=Foreignpolicyblogs.com |publisher=Foreign Policy Association}} Subsequently, Kupchan worked in the State Department during the Clinton administration as deputy coordinator of US assistance to Eurasia.{{cite news|last1=Knox|first1=Noelle|last2=Monga|first2=Vipal|title=Companies Map Contingency Plans as Ukraine Crisis Escalates|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304626304579507602269553352|work=Wall Street Journal|date=April 17, 2014}}
From 2000 to 2002, Kupchan was the vice president of the Eurasia Foundation, during which time he lived in Russia and managed a staff of Russian nationals. He then went on to serve as vice president and senior fellow at the Center for the National Interest.{{cite web|title=Clifford Kupchan Named Chairman of Eurasia Group|url=http://www.eurasiagroup.net/media-center/view-press-release/Clifford+Kupchan+named+Chairman+of+Eurasia+Group|publisher=Eurasia Group|access-date=2014-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112023653/http://www.eurasiagroup.net/media-center/view-press-release/Clifford+Kupchan+named+Chairman+of+Eurasia+Group|archive-date=2014-11-12|url-status=dead}}
In October 2014, Kupchan was named the chairman of Eurasia Group, replacing David F. Gordon.{{cite web|title=Clifford Kupchan Named Chairman of Eurasia Group|url=http://www.eurasiagroup.net/media-center/view-press-release/Clifford+Kupchan+named+Chairman+of+Eurasia+Group|publisher=Eurasia Group|access-date=2014-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112023653/http://www.eurasiagroup.net/media-center/view-press-release/Clifford+Kupchan+named+Chairman+of+Eurasia+Group|archive-date=2014-11-12|url-status=dead}}