Africa

Report Shows Correlation Between Peace and Resilience

ALL AFRICA 06/12/12 By Stephen Kaufman Washington – Would political and economic leaders work harder for peace if they saw that it not only has economic benefits, but it also helps societies recover faster from a crisis?The international nonprofit organization Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which rates global levels […]

World Bank Needs Jeffrey Sachs

THE HILL 03/01/12 By Michael Shank With Robert Zoellick stepping down from the World Bank helm, there is no better time for a development economist with solid on-the-ground and substantial international experience – like Dr. Jeffrey Sachs – to take his place. There are three clear reasons for this. The […]

For Reconstruction, Put Libyans to Work

ROLL CALL 11/01/11 By Michael Shank and J.J. Messner With the excitement about Moammar Gadhafi’s downfall beginning to fade, Libya’s new management has begun governing and reconstructing the war-torn nation. Plenty of attention is being paid to the governance angle: Is the National Transitional Council a legitimate, representative body? When […]

America’s Lawmakers in Libyan Quagmire

THE GUARDIAN 07/02/11 By Michael Shank With Republicans and Democrats alike split, confusion reigns over two crucial issues: war powers and R2P. It’s time for clarity Last week, as the US Senate picked up the Libya debate where the House of Representatives left off, it was apparent that Libya has […]

Bush’s True Legacy in Egypt

THE HILL 02/02/11 By Michael Shank The protests in Egypt must be understood within the prism of past policy in Washington, specifically President George W. Bush’s policy. While U.S. policies in the Middle East have never been dependable, let alone consistent, many conservatives in Washington this week, including former Bush […]

Poverty, Political Instability and Somali Piracy

FINANCIAL TIMES 11/14/08 By Michael Shank Sir, To assume that the pervasive and persistent Somali piracy off the Horn of Africa is sound and fury signifying nothing of political substance, and that the solution to the madness is simply a summoning and tightening of security, is to completely misread the […]

Why Not Firm Call for UN Reform?

FINANCIAL TIMES 05/16/08 By Michael Shank Sir, Heavy on protestation, light on substance, Robert Kagan’s call for a concert of democratic countries begs a hypothetical test run (“The case for a league of democracies”, May 14). Test three of the globe’s burning blisters – genocide, climate change and human rights […]

Tough Stand on Musharraf is Critical for U.S.’s Credibility

THE HILL 11/07/07 By Michael Shank In the Nov. 6 article “Pakistan’s emergency may mean its aid is cut,” Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are teaching the U.S. Defense and State departments a valuable lesson vis-a-vis the critical importance of a consistent U.S. foreign policy. Contrary to […]