Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick is an associate fellow and former Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies–Americas, as well as former head of the institute's work on non-proliferation and nuclear policy. He previously worked for 26 years in the U.S. Department of State, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Non-Proliferation (acting). His diplomatic postings included Vienna, in charge of liaison with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as Seoul, Tokyo, and Wellington. A frequent media commentator and lecturer throughout the world, he is a founding member of the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium and a board member of the Korea Economic Institute of America.

His research focuses on regional proliferation challenges, nuclear security, nuclear disarmament issues and preventing nuclear danger in the era of ‘nuclear renaissance’. He is the author of Asia’s Latent Nuclear Powers: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, Overcoming Pakistan’s Nuclear Dangers and The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Avoiding Worst-Case Outcomes. He is also the editor of six IISS Strategic Dossiers on countries and regions of proliferation concern.   

Fitzpatrick earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His dissertation on Korean unification in 1991 at the Japanese National Institute of Defense was published in journals in Japan and South Korea.