Ambassador Michael Gfoeller served as Senior Political Advisor to the U.S. Central Command, where he played a major role in shaping American Middle East and Central Asia strategies. He served numerous tours in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he is one of the very few Foreign Service officers fluent in both Arabic and Russian. Following his retirement from the State Department, he advised ExxonMobil, consulted for Henry Kissinger, lectured at Georgetown University, and was a partner in Arabia Analytica.