Four perspectives.
Connected analysis.
Examining how political, economic, technological and military developments shape international security and strategic choices.
Explore our programmes
CISES’s research is organised around four thematic programmes. Each provides a distinct analytical perspective, while addressing questions that often cross disciplinary boundaries.
Together, they connect state behaviour, economic resilience, emerging technologies and military capability to their wider strategic and policy implications.
International Security and Conflict
Economics and Trade
Emerging Technologies and Risks
Defence and Military Strategy
International Security and Conflict Programme
The International Security and Conflict Programme examines how states and other actors compete, cooperate and respond to insecurity. Its research explores geopolitical competition, regional security, diplomacy, alliances and conflict, assessing how political decisions and changing power relationships shape the international order.
The programme considers both immediate crises and longer-term strategic developments, including coercion, deterrence, hybrid threats and the behaviour of state and non-state actors.
Latest ISCP research
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Economics and Trade Programme
The Economics and Trade Programme examines how economic policy, trade and financial developments shape geopolitical influence, national resilience and strategic competition. Its research connects changes in the global economy to the choices facing governments, industries and international institutions.
Areas of analysis include economic statecraft, sanctions, industrial policy, supply chains, critical resources, financial vulnerabilities and development. The programme assesses how economic relationships create opportunities, dependencies and constraints on policy.
Latest ETP research
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Emerging Technologies and Risks Programme
The Emerging Technologies and Risks Programme examines how technological change and emerging vulnerabilities reshape security, economic strategy and international competition. Its research considers both the capabilities new technologies create and the challenges they pose for governance, accountability and resilience.
The programme covers artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cybersecurity and critical digital infrastructure, alongside climate and energy security. It explores how technological and environmental developments interact with political institutions, industrial dependencies and strategic risk.
Latest ETRP research
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Defence and Military Strategy Programme
The Defence and Military Strategy Programme examines how states build, organise, sustain and employ military power. Its research connects defence policy and strategic objectives with the capabilities, institutions and operational practices needed to deliver them.
The programme covers military strategy and doctrine, force development, readiness, procurement, defence industry, intelligence and security cooperation. It assesses how battlefield experience, technological change and resource constraints affect military effectiveness and future defence choices.
Latest DMSP research
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Our Programme Directors
Programme Directors guide research priorities, support contributors and oversee analytical quality within their respective programmes.
Mabel Runyon
Programme Director
Tasneem Ismail
Programme Director
Liam Walsh
Programme Director
Baaz Chandwan
Programme Director
Different perspectives on shared challenges
The same development can raise questions across several programmes. The analytical perspective matters: how a technology is governed, how it is financed and how it is employed may require different expertise.
Technology and military power
Autonomous systems raise questions about governance, accountability and resilience, as well as military integration, doctrine and operational effectiveness.
Economic dependencies and strategic influence
Supply chains, sanctions and critical resources connect economic policy with geopolitical leverage, industrial capacity and national security.
Energy, infrastructure and security
Energy transitions and infrastructure dependencies link technological change and economic resilience with geopolitical competition and exposure to disruption.
Find research on the questions that interest you
Browse all CISES publications in our research archive. Search for a word or phrase in a publication’s title and filter by publication type.
For research within a specific programme, follow the programme archive links above.
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