John Nixon was a senior leadership analyst with the CIA from 1998 to 2011. Over a thirteen-year Agency career, Nixon specialized in the leadership of Iraq and Iran and did several tours in Iraq and was recognized by a number of federal agencies for his contribution to the war effort. During his time with the CIA, Nixon regularly wrote for, and briefed, the most senior levels of the US government. He also taught leadership analysis to the new generation of analysts coming into the CIA at the Sherman Kent School, the Agency’s in-house analytic training center.
Following his 2011 departure from the CIA, Nixon worked until 2015 as an international risk consultant based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, advising on political and security risk in the Middle East.. “Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein,” was his first book. John has begun researching his next book, a biography of Saddam Hussein, the first biography of the Iraqi dictator in more than 20 years.
John received critical acclaim for his book, “Debriefing the President.” James Risen in the New York Times Book Review described Nixon’s book as “refreshingly candid.” The Times of London called it, “A damning indictment of the perversion of a major intelligence service.” John has appeared in several documentaries, including the BAFTA-winning “Once Upon a Time in Iraq,” which won the award for Best Factual Series in 2021.
John’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Cipher Brief, and he has been a commentator on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, Al-Jazeera English, SkyNews Arabia, Al-Arabiya, CGTN, BBC, NPR, C-SPAN, Business Insider, Slate, PBS, The National Interest. John has spoken at the Brookings Institute, the Oxford Union, Rice University, Columbia University, the Houston World Affairs Council, Northrup-Grumman, and Microsoft.
John Nixon has a BA degree in history from Hofstra University, an MA degree in history from New York University, and a MA degree in national security studies from Georgetown University.
