Research
Research
Rigorous, policy-oriented research on the most consequential challenges in contemporary global security.
London Dialogue conducts rigorous, policy-oriented research on the most consequential challenges in contemporary global security. Our work is organised around eight research programmes spanning nuclear politics, advanced technologies, regional security, and the economics of defence. We engage both academic and policy communities, producing analysis that is scholarly in its rigour and practical in its relevance.
Our Research Areas
Each programme addresses a distinct strategic domain while connecting across the institute's broader analytical agenda on global security and the changing international order.
Nuclear Politics
Deterrence theory, escalation dynamics, arms control frameworks, nuclear risk reduction, and the evolving nuclear orders in Asia and beyond. This programme examines how the global nuclear architecture is being reshaped by great-power competition, the fragmentation of arms control, and the emergence of new and disruptive military technologies.
Advanced & Emerging Technologies
The strategic implications of hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, drone warfare, cyber capabilities, directed-energy technologies, and space and counter-space systems. This programme analyses how military-technological change is transforming the character of conflict, the balance of offence and defence, and the frameworks of arms control and strategic competition.
South Asia Security
India–Pakistan strategic relations, nuclear and conventional force dynamics, crisis stability, and the management of escalation on the subcontinent. The programme also examines the domestic political dimensions of security policy, the rise of new technologies in regional warfare, and the role of external powers in shaping South Asian strategic dynamics.
Middle East Geopolitics
Regional conflicts, proxy warfare, missile and drone proliferation, and the strategic competition of external powers across the Middle East. The programme addresses the strategic calculus of state and non-state actors, the role of Iran, Gulf security dynamics, and the implications of shifting United States engagement and the wider 2026 conflict for regional order.
USA–China–Russia Strategic Competition
The strategic dynamics among the United States, China, and Russia, and their implications for the global order, alliance architectures, technological competition, and the future of multilateral security frameworks. This programme places the great-power contest at the heart of contemporary security analysis.
Maritime & Energy Security
Indian Ocean dynamics, maritime strategy, sea-lane security, and the intersection of energy geopolitics and strategic competition. The programme examines naval modernisation across regional powers, the vulnerability of critical maritime infrastructure, and the strategic consequences of the global energy transition for the Indo-Pacific, the Gulf, and beyond.
Nuclear Safety & Security
Nuclear threat reduction, the safety of civilian nuclear facilities, security governance and nuclear material accounting, illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials, and engagement with the IAEA non-proliferation framework. This programme focuses on the operational and institutional foundations of nuclear safety in an era of expanding nuclear infrastructure.
Economics of Defence & Security
Defence budgets and procurement, arms industries, critical-mineral supply chains, the political economy of military capability, and economic statecraft in strategic competition. The programme integrates economic analysis with strategic studies to explain how material constraints, supply chains, and industrial capacity shape national and alliance security.
Current Focus Themes
Beyond our permanent research programmes, London Dialogue maintains sustained analytical attention on the live strategic challenges shaping the contemporary international order. These themes cut across our programmes and receive priority coverage in our publications, commentary, and expert dialogue.
Iran War & Middle East Order
The escalating confrontation involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, and its cascading consequences for regional security, the Gulf states, nuclear stability, missile proliferation, and the broader balance of power across the Middle East. We follow the operational, diplomatic, and strategic dimensions in real time.
War in Ukraine
The strategic, technological, and doctrinal consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine for European security, NATO, the future of conventional warfare, and the broader transformation of the international order. We examine air defence, drone warfare, electronic warfare, and the political-military implications for Euro-Atlantic strategy.
Indo-Pacific Strategy
The strategic contest in the Indo-Pacific, the future of the Quad and AUKUS, China’s military modernisation, Taiwan’s security, the South China Sea, ASEAN’s strategic positioning, and the alignment of regional middle powers. We analyse the operational, technological, and diplomatic dimensions of competition in the world’s most consequential theatre.
Our Analytical Approach
Our research combines rigorous scholarly analysis with direct engagement with policy communities. We draw on primary sources, fieldwork, and expert interviews, integrating perspectives from strategic studies, international relations theory, and technical analysis. All London Dialogue publications undergo internal review prior to release.