Topic: Michael McFaul

Michael Anthony McFaul (born 1963 in Glasgow, Montana) is a Stanford University professor and the nominee for United States Ambassador to Russia. Prior to his nomination for Ambassador, McFaul worked for the U.S. National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs.

Born in Montana, McFaul earned a B.A. in International Relations and Slavic Languages and an M.A. in Slavic and East European Studies from Stanford University in 1986. As a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a Ph.D. in International Relations from Oxford University in 1991.

A professor of political science at Stanford University, he is the former director of the university's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.