This edition of the HORN Bulletin presents four timely analyses spanning climate diplomacy, foreign-policy alignment, development partnerships, and health security in the Horn of Africa. The first article, “Emerging Technologies, Innovation and Cultural Heritage in Kenya’s Climate Diplomacy: The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)”, shows how Kenya can fuse indigenous stewardship with AI/IoT-driven monitoring to strengthen policy, regional cooperation, and public engagement on climate action. It highlights community practices (e.g., rotational grazing, sacred groves) as assets that, when integrated with modern tools, can enrich cross-border environmental governance and diplomacy.
The second article, “Between the Global South and the New West: Geopolitical Positioning of East African States in an Emerging Multipolar World Order,” reframes alignment as flexible and issue-specific rather than a binary choice. Drawing from neoclassical realism, postcolonial theory, and rationalist models, it argues that East African states are crafting adaptive strategies to preserve sovereignty while maximizing leverage, offering policy takeaways for both regional leaders and external partners.
The third article, “Reviving Cold War Ties: How Russia Can Catalyze Development in Kenya through Strategic Partnerships,” examines a pragmatic Kenya–Russia agenda aligned to Vision 2030 and BETA spanning nuclear and hybrid energy, agriculture and fertilizer supply, skills exchanges, and selective security cooperation, while cautioning on governance, transparency, and geopolitical risk. It proposes structured MoUs/PPPs, inter-governmental coordination, and regional platforms to ensure measurable, public-interest outcomes.
The fourth article, “Health Security at Risk: Assessing Infrastructure and Operational Gaps in Refugee Immunization Services in Dadaab,” surfaces data and frontline testimony on fluctuating vaccine coverage, funding volatility, supply-chain stock-outs, and denominator problems caused by mobile populations despite recent gains in specific antigens. It recommends integrating services with national systems, stabilizing financing and logistics, and strengthening data for outbreak readiness.
