Shukan, Brian Wesley – Republic of Benin – August 2021

REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of
Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service
Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST: Republic of Benin

CANDIDATE: Brian Wesley Shukan

Brian W. Shukan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, has been the Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan since 2019. In this position, he has helped lead U.S. policy in Sudan, including efforts that resulted in Sudan’s removal from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Previously, he was Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan at the Department of State from 2017 – 2019. Mr. Shukan also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, including 11 months as Chargé d’Affaires a.i., and as Consul General in Casablanca, Morocco. Mr. Shukan’s regional expertise, including multiple assignments in Africa, coupled with his demonstrated ability to effectively build and lead interagency teams in challenging environments, make him well-qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Benin.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Shukan was Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and led the Political Section at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana. He also served as Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia desk officer in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; Consular/Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg; and General Services Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou, Benin.

Mr. Shukan is the recipient of numerous awards, including the James V. Forrestal Award for Excellence in Strategy and Force Planning from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and an M.A. with distinction from the Naval War College. He speaks French and Arabic.