David Shinn has been an adjunct professor in the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs since 2001. He previously served for 37 years in the U.S. Foreign Service with assignments at embassies in Lebanon, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Cameroon, and Sudan, and as ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. He has specialized in China-Africa issues since 2007, with a particular focus on the Horn of Africa, and speaks at events around the world.
Ambassador Shinn is the coauthor of China and Africa: A Century of Engagement (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012) and the Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia (Scarecrow Press, 2004) and he has authored numerous articles and book chapters. His research interests include China-Africa relations, East Africa and the Horn, terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism, conflict situations, U.S. policy in Africa, and the African brain drain. Ambassador Shinn received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from George Washington University and he has a certificate in African studies from Northwestern University.
