Nicolas Tenzer is a French civil servant, academic, writer, and editor. He is currently the editor of the journal Le Banquet and is the founding president of the Centre d’étude et de réflexion pour l’action politique (CERAP), a position he has held since 1986. He was a director of the Aspen Institute from 2010 to 2015 and has acted as its treasurer and president.

Tenzer has stated seeks a middle path between two opposing viewpoints on French power: that France’s status as a power and its role in world affairs are declining, and that France’s role in world affairs is increasing. In a 2016 article for online policy platform Euractiv, Tenzer stated that the EU should focus on Romania, who he claimed was the last country in Eastern Europe with a pro-European leader.

He has taught political philosophy at Sciences Po (1986-2004) and since 2014 he is teaching there Science of Government (Master of International Public Affairs). As a civil servant, Tenzer is the former head of the Commissariat général du Plan (1994-2002), a former member of the staff of France’s minister of Economy and Finance (1987-1988), and a former rapporteur at the Cour des comptes (1991-1993).

Born in 1961, Tenzer is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (1980-1982), Sciences Po (1980-1982) and the École nationale d’administration (1984-1986). He also holds a degree in history from the University of Nanterre.