IISS Manama Dialogue Spotlight on International Experts and Senior Fellows: Mark Fitzpatrick and Michael Elleman

In preparation for the forthcoming IISS Regional Security Summit, The Manama Dialogue, spotlights on IISS Senior Fellows and Experts will be distributed weekly. The IISS Manama Dialogue will be held in Bahrain from 3 to 5 December 2010.

Receive media accreditation now by emailing manama-press@iiss.org.

This week, we are pleased to feature Mark Fitzpatrick and Michael Elleman. Mark Fitzpatrick and Michael Elleman are available for interviews now regarding the IISS Manama Dialogue. Please see below for information and also to spend ‘1 Minute’ with Mark and Michael.  To request an interview, email manama-press@iiss.org.

Additional information on The Manama Dialogue can be found at: http://www.iiss.org/manama-dialogue/

Mark Fitzpatrick

Senior Fellow for Non-proliferation

Expertise: Non-proliferation and disarmament, Northeast Asia, South Asia and Iran, International Atomic Energy Agency, US foreign policy, nuclear energy

1 Minute with Mark Fitzpatrick:

Notwithstanding its instance on peaceful purposes, Iran's nuclear fuel-cycle programmes continue to stoke security concerns among its neighbours and further afield.  It is still conceivable, albeit unlikely, that negotiations with major powers, possibly including other regional players, could produce an agreement that addressed these concerns.  The tough sanctions now being applied may play a useful role, both in encouraging Iran to negotiate and in helping to limit its potential for  being able quickly to assemble a nuclear arsenal.  If its uranium enrichment and plutonium production programmes are not limited, the likelihood of a military clash will grow next year.  On the margins of the IISS Manama Dialogue, I will be happy to offer my take on these developments and on possible future scenarios.

Read more about Mark Fitzpatrick

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 tandem with progress in its nuclear programme, Iran continues to advance its ballistic missiles, with the apparent aim of being able to deliver nuclear and conventional warheads to targets well beyond its borders.  Iran presently has the largest most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East.  The Islamic Republic is still dependent on foreign suppliers for key materials, components, and equipment, but it has the capacity to develop long-range missiles over time, including Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICBMs.   However, the military utility of Iran’s current ballistic missiles is limited because of poor accuracy, so missiles are not likely to be decisive if armed with conventional, chemical or biological warheads. But Tehran could use its missiles as a political or psychological weapon to terrorize an adversary’s cities and pressure its government. Produced by an international team of missile experts, the IISS Strategic Dossier “Iran's Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment” offers the most comprehensive and detailed information available about Iran’s liquid- and solid-fuelled missiles, as well as its indigenous production programmes and plans for future missile acquisitions, all topics likely to be discussed at the IISS Manama Dialogue next week.

Read more about Michael Elleman