Michael Knights is an unusual mixture of academic, conflict-zone practitioner, and policy advisor to Western governments. He received his PhD on Middle Eastern security for the Department of War Studies, King's College, London and has been an advisor to all the post-9/11 US administrations and a range of European and Arab governments. Michael is a sought-after commentator on Middle Eastern conflict, both by top-tier television, radio and print media.

He has over 25,000 followers on Twitter and regularly publishes widely-read analyses on Middle East security as a senior fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is the author of a number of books and monographs on the region.