Ambassador Michael Gfoeller (ret.) is an independent consultant on international politics and security matters. He served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer from 1984 to 2010. His career included service in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Russia, Armenia, Moldova, Poland, and Belgium. He served for two years (2008-2010) as the Senior Political Advisor to General David Petraeus at U.S. Central Command and retired from the State Department with the rank of Ambassador. Ambassador Gfoeller is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Cosmos Club. He is married to Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller-Volkoff.