Michael Stephens

• Development and Security Consultant, RAND Europe

Michael Stephens is a Development and Security consultant focused on the Middle East and North Africa and Pakistan. Michael works primarily with Global Health actors to build partnerships in the Middle East with public and private sector funders. Prior to this Michael led RUSI's Middle East programme from 2010-2020, and as Head of RUSI's Leadership Centre Michael implemented training and capacity building programmes for governments and business clients. From February to June 2017 Michael was seconded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving as the Senior Research Analyst for Syria and Lebanon.

Michael's research has focused on topics ranging from nuclear security in the Middle East, to terrorist threats posed by non-state actors. In 2021 Michael Co-authored a volume with Dr Christopher Phillips entitled“What next for Britain in the Middle East? Security, Trade and Foreign Policy after Brexit” (I.B. Tauris), which focused on British policy toward the Middle East following Britain's exit from the European Union in January 2020. As a frequent commentator on Middle East affairs, his writing has appeared in many news outlets and he is also a regular broadcast commentator. Michael is also an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). He studied at King's College London and undertook three years of post-graduate research in the Middle East and is proficient in both Arabic and Hebrew.

• –present Development and Security Consultant, RAND Europe

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