Manama Dialogue in November

The next Manama Dialogue will be held in Kingdom from 22 to 24 November this year, said a top IISS official. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Sir Tom Beckett, Executive Director of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) was speaking during a monthly networking meeting hosted by the Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF). The last Manama Dialogue in October 2018 attracted over 500 delegates from 49 countries comprising senior ministers, military and intelligence chiefs, top diplomats, CEOs, opinion-formers, analysts and leading journalists.

In his address, Sir Tom discussed the relevance of strategic studies for governments and businesses and how IISS data and analysis has benefited businesses across the globe. Now in its 61st year, the IISS is an international research institute that provides objective information on military, geopolitical and geo-economic developments that could lead to a conflict. “What makes our Dialogues extremely useful is that apart from the senior delegates from various governments there is a significant board level representation from multinational businesses, who listens, contributes and conducts meetings on the sidelines of the summit.”

The IISS is a registered charity based in London with three regional offices. The Washington office covers the Americas, Singapore office covers the Indo-Pacific and Manama office covers the Middle East. “In a world where everyone and everything is connected, IISS research can help shine a light into the fog of strategic competition to help regional business leaders and decision-makers navigate a congested, cluttered and contested world,” said Tom.

The event was held in the presence of the Chairman of the BBBF, Khalid Al Zayani, Simon Martin, the British Ambassador to Bahrain, 100 forum members and their guests at the Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel yesterday.