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Obama picks foreign policy expert to be US ambassador to Sweden

David Landes
David Landes - [email protected]
Obama picks foreign policy expert to be US ambassador to Sweden
Mark Brzezinski; official residence of the US ambassador to Sweden

US president Barack Obama has nominated Washington DC-based lawyer and foreign policy expert Mark Brzezinski to be the next US ambassador to Sweden.

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Brzezinski currently heads up the international practice of the McGuireWoods law firm and served as a foreign policy advisor to Obama's 2008 election campaign.

He is the son of former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter.

During the administration of President Bill Clinton, the younger Brzezinski served on the National Security Council betweeen 1999 and 2001, focusing on issues relating to the Balkans, Russia, Eurasia and Southeast Europe.

He has been nominated to fill the United States' top diplomatic post in Sweden which has been vacant since May when Ambassador Matthew Barzun stepped down to lead the fundraising efforts for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

“The Embassy welcomes the White House announcement that President Obama has nominated a distinguished American to fill the post of US ambassador to Sweden,” embassy spokesperson Chris Dunnett told The Local.

Before heading to Stockholm, however, Brzezinski's nomination, which was announced late on Tuesday, must be approved by the US Senate. As a result, it remains unclear when Brzezinski may take up residence in the Swedish capital as the top US envoy.

While Dunnett said the embassy hopes for an “expeditious” nomination process, he emphasised that “it would not be appropriate for us to speculate on or prejudge the Senate's process."

Brzezinski received a doctorate in political science from Oxford University and his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College. He also spend two years in Poland as a Fulbright Scholar.

His sister, Mika Brzezinski, hosts a morning talk show on US cable channel MSNBC.

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