Halkano Boru

Halkano Boru joins the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) at Stanford University, transitioning from a distinguished career in peace, security, and international affairs in Washington, D.C. He previously worked as a Non-State Armed Groups Subject Matter Expert (SME) for U.S. government programs at DevTech Systems, and as a Research and Policy Analyst at the American Enterprise Institute/Institute for the Study of War. An accomplished writer, he has published articles, op-eds, and policy memos on socio-political issues in outlets including Conversation US, International Policy Digest, Elephant, and The Star Newspaper. Earlier in his career, Halkano held significant roles in the Horn of Africa, serving as a Political Risk Analyst for the Office of the Special Envoy for the Red Sea (IGAD) and as Regional Peace and Cohesion Coordinator for UNDP Kenya. 

At Stanford, Halkano aims to bridge artificial intelligence and the Silicon Valley ecosystem with policy expertise. His research explores how emerging technologies, particularly AI, influence political violence, democratic institutions, and global governance. His ultimate goal is to advance evidence-based peacebuilding and counteract political violence in authoritarian regimes. He holds a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and is an honored fellow of several programs, including the Future Leader Fellow (LATO) – Latvia 2024, the Thomas D. McCloskey Fellowship (2022), the Young African Leaders Initiative (2016), and the ITDM Fellowship (Uppsala University and Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, 2018). Aside from this, Halkano listens to Ezra Klein's podcast and plays soccer.