Michael L. Baker

Michael Baker was a 2009-2010 International Affairs Fellow (IAF) in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Baker was based in Washington, DC, and studied African political and maritime security issues. He spent the first portion of his IAF fellowship at the Africa Partnership Station and Africa Union.

As a U.S. Navy foreign area officer, Mr. Baker most recently held the position of branch chief for West Africa engagements, where he was responsible for the development and coordination of all U.S. military capacity-building efforts in West Africa. Previously, he served as the Southeast Asia political-military action officer for the chief of naval operations. From September 2006 to January 2007, he was the U.S. liaison officer to the Turkish Special Forces in Silopi, Turkey, and held eleven posts throughout Northern Iraq, working to improve interagency cooperation and U.S.-Turkish military communication along the Turkey-Iraq border area. Mike is one of the founding members of the U.S. Africa Command, where he served as the desk officer for Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Mali.

Mr. Baker holds a BS from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MA from Istanbul Bilgi University, as an Olmsted Scholar.