Ian Li is an Associate Research Fellow with the Military Studies Programme (MSP) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. Prior to joining RSIS, he was a HR practitioner with working experience in both the public sector and IHLs. He received his BBus in International Business from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, as well as his MSc in Asian Studies from RSIS. His honours thesis examined the impact of Asian values on the economic development of Asia while his M.Sc thesis examined the impact of U.S. involvement in Cambodia from 1965 to 1975. His research interests are in military history and the Cold War.

• Military History
• Cold War History
• Hybrid Warfare Theory

Commentaries

• Remembering Operation Jaywick: Singapore’s Asymmetric Warfare

  09 November, 2018

IDSS Paper

• IP23011 | Operation Inherent Resolve: Understanding Singapore's Participation in Multilateral Overseas Operations

  25 January, 2023

Journal Articles

• “The Importance of Context for Military History and Education” in POINTER: Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces, 46, 2, 2021, pp. 54-62

Op-Eds

• “Back to the Future: Using History to Prepare for Future Warfare”, The Strategy Bridge, 21 March 2023
• “Constructing the Orc: Embracing Fiction in Ukraine’s Tactical Narrative”, RUSI Commentary, 6 March 2023
• “Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao: Combining the Indirect Approach with the Centre of Gravity”, The Strategy Bridge, 24 August 2020
• “The ‘Crisis’ in Coronavirus Crisis Communications: Southeast Asia and the Contest of Narratives” (with Wendy He), RUSI Commentary, 28 May 2020
• “Hybrid warfare’s assault on ASEAN regionalism”, East Asia Forum, 14 March 2020
• “Sound the Clarion! Hybrid Warfare Has Arrived in the Asia-Pacific”, Small Wars Journal, 14 January 2020
• “Time to Put the Old Dog Down? Debating the Future of NATO”, Modern Diplomacy, 14 January 2020
• “How Many Cold Wars Does it Take to Make a ‘New’ One?”, The Interpreter, 6 December 2019
• “The U.S.-China Rivalry as Seen in the Cold War’s Rear-View Mirror”, The Strategy Bridge, 1 October 2019
• “The Folly of US Intervention in Cambodia: What lessons from the Cold War should Washington heed?”, The Diplomat, 28 September 2018

• Guest Speaker, Ukraine Crisis Forum – Impact and Implications on “The Weaponization of the National Narrative” by Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, 21 March 2022.
• Guest Speaker, Air Defence and Operations Command Forum on “Hybrid Warfare and its Implications for the Asia Pacific” by Republic of Singapore Air Force, 5 February 2020.