Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Oops, what happened to Robert Connan’s nomination?

Iceland, from the NASA Visible Earth image gal...Image via Wikipedia

A Diplopundit reader asked about Robert Connan’s nomination. I thought I’ve been good about tracking these appointments, but not good enough it seems. I have no idea where this one is right now.

The WH announced President Obama’s intent to nominate Robert S. Connan to be his ambassador to Iceland back in May. So far, I have not been able to find anything on this nomination, aside from the WH announcement of the president’s intent. I could not locate any announcement that this nomination had been sent to the Senate. (Nominations received by the Senate are normally included in the Congressional Record; nothing there either). And I could not find any record in the SFRC, pending or otherwise.

It seems like after the official announcement, this nomination did not go anywhere. Malasef, I have no idea why. If you know, would you enlighten us? I think the Icelanders are anxious to hear when the new Ambassador will get there.

Robert S. Connan is a career member of the US Foreign Commercial Service. He was Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels. I recently discovered a series of his photographs exhibited at the USEU Mission in Brussels in January 2009. See the photos here. Below is part of the blurb from the exhibit brochure:

Robert S. Connan discovered photography at a young age. He said later: “I discovered that my greatest enjoyment came in viewing a small highlight inside a larger scheme - an intersection of angles of details and contrast that pulls together in a simple design.” He cites André Kertész, W. Eugene Smith, and Paul Strand as inspirations. His career in the Foreign Service has enabled him to practice his art around the world. His journeys through 74 countries have resulted in unique images of our world. Connan’s work has been exhibited in Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Kuwait City, Sydney, and Washington, DC. He has also been published in National Geographic, Down East, the Hasselblad Forum and CLAM Magazine. He began his international career in the private sector. In 1980, he entered the Foreign Commercial Service. His first assignment was Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, followed by Johannesburg, Algiers, Stockholm, Kuwait, Rome and Sydney. He served in Baghdad, Iraq from September 2003 till January 2004 under the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), setting up the Iraqi Business Center for the Iraqi Ministry of Trade. After Baghdad, he was posted to Paris as Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs. Currently, he serves as Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels.

Robert S. Connan is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned his undergraduate degree in Econometrics from Carnegie Mellon University and his MBA in international marketing from the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania.

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1 comment:

Live said...

"I think the Icelanders are anxious to hear when the new Ambassador will get there"

Hardly. After the US' abrupt desertion of their naval base in Keflavik, Iceland, and their decisionin in the run-up to the banking crisis of 2008 to come to the aid of all the Scandinavian countries, except Iceland, where the banking system of the whole country subsequently collapsed but was saved in the other Scandinavian countries, it is safe to say that the US no longer appears at he top of the list of countries which Iceland puts its efforts into cultivating diplomatic relationship with, cf. Iceland's rather warm reception recently to China's request to negotiate mining rights in the country and to establish a transshipment center once the shipping route over the North Pole clears. The fall of the centrist government in the wake of the banking colapse, making way for a ultra-left wing, militantly green, nationalistic government has not helped matters.

Hence, the image of Iceland waiting with baited breath, to hear what mid-level career diplomat will be made US' ambassador to the country, is firmly outdated.