Dr David M. Sip is a Lecturer at the Defence Studies Department. He is based at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in Shrivenham. He obtained his PhD from the Università degli Studi di Trento (2024) and a Research MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Universiteit Leiden (2018).

David is working on turning his thesis “Brothers in the Axis of Resistance or Pawns? Iranian proxy warfare, 1979-2019” into a book.

Research Interests

• Proxy Wars
• International Relations of the Middle East
• Land Warfare
• Deterrence
• Grand Strategy
• Attritional Warfare
• The Militaries of the Modern Middle East and their history

David’s research interests are broadly focused on two areas: Firstly, the Middle East, its international relations, with a special focus on Iranian proxy wars and the history of the modern Middle Eastern States and their militaries. Secondly, his research looks at the Defence of Europe’s Eastern flank, grand strategic questions and the increasing dominance of attritional warfare.

Recent Publications

• Sip, David M. ‘Ukraine’s Proxy War Against Russia and Its Lessons for Europe’. Journal of Strategic Security 18, no. 4 (2025): 3.
• Sip, David M. ‘Pressure Proxies: A Model for State Support of Non-Traditional Proxy Groups Abroad and Their Use as Deterrence’. Georgetown Security Studies Review 13, no. 1 (2025): 95–117.
• Sip, David M. ‘The Role of Ideology in Explaining the Strength of Iran’s Proxy Relationships’. Small Wars & Insurgencies 36, no. 5 (2025): 870–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2025.2488292.