Robert Ford is a Yale University professor and fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. He retired from the US State Department in 2014 after serving as US ambassador to Syria (2011-14), deputy ambassador to Iraq (2008-10), and ambassador to Algeria (2006-08), as well as holding positions in Turkey, Egypt, Bahrain and Washington, DC. Ford started his international work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. He is fluent in Arabic and regularly appears in American, British and Arab media.