Dr. Justin Kirk Langley Haner is a former soldier turned scholar with a keen interest in reforming the United Nations via the untried but legally available and potentially transformative mechanism provided under Article 109 of the UN's Charter.

A political scientist by training, Justin is a postdoctoral research fellow at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs. From traditional security concerns to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, his research focuses on the transformative power that international law and organizations can have on solving complex security issues. His dissertation, Organizing Peace: An Algorithmic Analysis of Four Centuries of International Law and the Decline of War, was recognized with the national 2024 Kenneth N. Waltz Outstanding Dissertation Award for its contribution to the field of security studies.

Committed to ensuring his work resonates beyond the classroom, Justin is an outspoken advocate for UN reform with six years of experience since becoming involved in reform efforts during the preparations for UN75 and later for the Summit of the Future working with the Coalition for the UN We Need to draft the People’s Pact for the Future. He currently works as the Research and Data Manager in the Secretariat of the Article 109: For a Renewed UN Charter, where he leads research, impact tracking, and data analytics efforts. He also serves on the Board of Citizens for Global Solutions.

Justin is also a committed public servant with 14 years of combined experience in the military and local government. As a former Captain in the US Army Infantry, he led a mechanized rapid reaction force just south of the Korean DMZ and was selected to serve as Executive Officer to the United Nations Command Honor Guard.

As a former Captain in the US Army Infantry, he led a rapid reaction force just south of the Korean DMZ and took part in the planning and execution of several major international joint force exercises. After being selected to serve as Executive Officer to the United Nations Command Honor Guard, he helped provide security and diplomatic ceremony support for distinguished US and foreign dignitaries, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye and US President Barack Obama. Currently, he serves as an elected local Representative for Town Meeting in his adopted hometown of Walpole, just outside of Boston in the US.