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2016 02 24 Fitzpatrick 220x220 - Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick

Executive Director, International Institute for Strategic Studies

Bio Current as of September 8, 2017

Mark Fitzpatrick is Executive Director of the Washington-based Americas office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), as of December 2015. He also continues to head the IISS Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy Programme, a position he held at the London headquarters since late 2005. His IISS program focuses on proliferation challenges and on nuclear security and nuclear disarmament issues. He is the author of Asia’s Latent Nuclear Powers: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan (February 2016), Overcoming Pakistan’s Nuclear Dangers (2014) and The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Avoiding worst-case outcomes (2008). He is also the editor of six IISS Strategic Dossiers on countries and regions of proliferation concern, including on North Korea (July 2011) and Iran (February 2011). He has lectured throughout the world and is a frequent media commentator on proliferation topics. He is a founding member of the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium and a Board member of the Korea Economic Institute of America.

Fitzpatrick joined IISS in October 2005 after a 26-year career in the US Department of State, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Non-Proliferation (acting). His diplomatic postings also included Vienna, in charge of liaison with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as postings in Seoul, Tokyo (twice) and Wellington. Other postings at the State Department included director of the regional affairs office of the South Asia bureau and North Korea desk officer. He earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and he attended a post-graduate study program (1990-1991) at the Japanese National Institute of Defence, where his dissertation on Korean unification was published in journals in Japan and South Korea.