Spotlight on International Experts and Senior Fellows

IISS Manama Dialogue Spotlight on International Experts and Senior Fellows:

Michael Elleman and Alexander Nicoll

In preparation for the forthcoming IISS Regional Security Summit, The Manama Dialogue, spotlights on IISS Senior Fellows and Experts will be distributed bi-weekly. The Manama Dialogue will be held in Bahrain from 11 to 13 December 2009.

This week, we are pleased to feature Michael Elleman and Alexander Nicoll. Mr Elleman and Mr Nicoll are available for interviews now regarding The IISS Manama Dialogue. Please see below for information on these two gentleman and also to spend ‘1 Minute’ with each of them.  To request an interview with Mr Elleman and Mr Nicoll, or receive accreditation to attend the Manama Dialogue security summit, email dialoguepress@iiss.org.

Additional information on The Manama Dialogue can be found at: http://www.iiss.org/conferences/the-iiss-regional-security-summit/

MIchael Elleman

Visiting Senior Fellow for Missile Defence

Expertise: Missile defence, US, Russia and European missile defence, threat assessment, Cooperative Threat Reduction programs, weapons proliferation analyses, solid propellants, weapons elimination technologies, nuclear effects and special materials research

1 Minute with Michael Elleman:

In September the Obama administration announced that it was scrapping plans to locate ground-based, mid-course interceptors and a high-powered radar system in eastern Europe.  The revised missile-defence strategy seeks to protect the US and allies from Iran’s current and near-future ballistic missiles by expanding and broadening the use of regional missile-defense systems deployed across the European continent and the surrounding seas. The European architecture could be further expanded to other regions of the world, including the Persian Gulf which already finds itself threatened by Iran’s existing stockpile of ballistic missiles.  Indeed, the US government has already initiated exploratory talks with countries in the Gulf about deploying advanced regional missile-defense systems to the region.  However, because the overall architecture relies on a distributed array of sensors and interceptors it must be operationally integrated across multiple nations to be effective, extensive cooperation amongst all prospective participants is paramount. In the context of general security cooperation in the Gulf, discussions in Bahrain will likely extend to the specifics of the challenges surrounding missile-defense cooperation.  

Read more about Michael Elleman

Alexander Nicoll

Director of Editorial; Editor, Strategic Survey; Editor; Strategic Comments

Expertise: Economics and conflict, and current affairs

1 Minute with Alexander Nicoll:

The world financial crisis of 2008 had a profound impact in all parts of the world – indeed some of that impact probably has yet to be felt. At the IISS I have been considering the potential strategic effects of the crisis. While it remains early days, there have already been changes in global governance and in the balance of power. Time will tell how long-lasting such changes will be. Earlier in the year the US Director of National Intelligence indicated that the possible effects of the financial crisis were then considered to be the most important strategic concern facing the United States. Amidst the many other challenges pressing in on the administration, the Manama Dialogue may provide a clue as to whether this is still the case.

Read more about Alexander Nicoll