Dr Raphael C. Lima is a Lecturer in War Studies Education at the Department of War Studies with primary research interests in military innovation and diffusion, emerging technologies, defence, and Latin American security. He is a member of the King's Latin American Security Research Group (LAS), and the Project Lead of the Military Innovation Network (MIN). Dr Lima also has teaching experience across the whole School of Security Studies, teaching as a lecturer in both the Department of War Studies and the Defence Studies Department, alongside policy experience in the Brazilian government in the field of foreign policy, defence, security, and foresight (e.g., SAE/PR, Ipea, and the Brazilian Army).

Research Interests

• Military Innovation & Military Diffusion
• Latin American Security
• Professional Military Education (PME)
• Civil-Military Relations
• Brazilian Foreign Policy
• Foresight

Selected publications

Peer reviewed publications

• Gonzales and Lima (2025), ‘The time of Brazilian defence policy in a changing world.’ Revista Tempo do Mundo, v 37.
• Lima, Nadal, and Terhorst (2025), ‘European Military Innovation in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: From Expeditionary Warfare to Territorial Defence.’ European Review of International Studies.
• Carvalho and Lima (2023), ‘Shaping the security-development nexus in Brazil: the military as a development and state-building actor?’. Conflict, Security & Development. v. 23 (2), 105-133.
• Lima, Silva, and Rudzit (2021), ‘No power vacuum: national security neglect and the defence sector in Brazil’. Defence Studies. v. 21 (1), 84-106.
• Lima (2019), ‘Strategic Communications as a Tool for Great Power Competition in Venezuela’. Defence Strategic Communications, v. 6, 89-122.

Research reports 

• Barros, Lima, and Barros (2024). ‘The international engagement of the Brazilian defence sector: challenges and opportunities for the new defence documents’ (in Portuguese). Texto para Discussão Ipea, n. 2973.
• Barros, Lima, and Carneiro (2022), ‘Brazil-Venezuela: The Evolution of bilateral relations and implications of the Venezuelan crisis to the Brazilian global insertion’ (in Portuguese). Texto para Discussão IPEA, n. 2761.

Edited volumes

• Andrade, Lange, Medeiros and Lima (eds.) (2019). Contemporary Challenges to the Brazilian Army (in Portuguese).

Policy papers

• Carvalho (ed.), Natale, Lima, Pereira, Passos, Svartman, and Bascule (2022). ‘Defence and security in Brazil: what role for the Parliament?’. KODLA Policy Series 2022, n. 1. King’s Observatory of Democracy in Latin America (KODLA).