Michal has been the Director of the Research Center of the Association for International Affairs in Prague since August 2007. He was educated in political science at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Charles University in Prague and has participated in summer schools organised by the Prague Security Studies Institute and the Center for European and North Atlantic Affairs. Currently, he is working on research projects on the ‘Role of the New EU Member Countries in Shaping the Eastern Policies of the EU’ and ‘US Foreign Policy in the 21st Century’. He specializes in the internal and foreign policies of Turkey and the South Caucasus; the eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy; and water in the Middle East and the role of Turkey. He regularly comments and writes on these issues.