Diplomacy

Next Steps in Syria

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/10/13 By Michael Shank and Lawrence Wilkerson As inspectors begin destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile, the days and weeks ahead are absolutely critical. While we laud the progress initially instigated by talks between the U.S. and Russia, we feel strongly that our diplomatic efforts going […]

Americans Have Had Enough Conflict

CNN 09/27/13 By Michael Shank, Matt Hoh and Danny L. Davis Editor’s note: Matthew Hoh served with the U.S. Marines in Iraq and on State Department teams in Afghanistan and Iraq and is a Senior Fellow with the Center for International Policy. Michael Shank is director of foreign policy at […]

Obama Prioritizes Palestinian-Israeli Peace Process in UN Pitch

HUFFINGTON POST 09/24/13 By Michael Shank Watching President Barack Obama’s speech to heads of state at the UN General Assembly summit this week in New York — specifically his pointed prioritization of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process — I was reminded of a column I penned with U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks […]

7 Ways Obama’s U.N. Speech Revealed His Inconsistent Foreign Policy

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/24/13 By Michael Shank President Barack Obama’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly today deserves some fact checking. There were multiple assertions that skewed reality and are worth debunking as a result. First, Obama questioned “whether the United Nations can meet the tests of […]

A Callous Disregard for the Law

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/11/13 By Michael Shank One of the most disturbing dynamics about President Barack Obama’s speech to the American people and what’s gone down in the last week in Washington – vis-à-vis military strikes in Syria – is the Obama administration’s willingness to break constitutional and […]

Press Pause on the Rush to War

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/09/13 By Michael Shank Syria’s welcoming this week of Russia’s proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control should put a pause on the Obama administration’s frenzied full court press this week – vis-à-vis invasion – which includes six television network interviews, a live […]

Why I Oppose Syria Strikes

THE DAILY BEAST 09/05/13 By Michael Shank and US Rep Charles Rangel (D-NY) Instead of getting involved in a costly war, the president should combat poverty, gun violence, and inequality at home. By Rep. Charles Rangel and Michael Shank. America seems increasingly inclined to engage in a new military conflict […]

Arizona Delegation Skeptical of Use of Military Force in Syria

THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC 09/04/13 By Erin Kelly and Rebekah Sanders The Obama administration has no clear support yet among the U.S. House delegation from Arizona on the use of military force against Syria. Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., said Wednesday that he will vote against a resolution to authorize military action […]

Does the U.S. Have a Moral Imperative in Syria?

WASHINGTON POST 09/05/13 By Michael Shank There are three fallacies floating around Washington regarding a war with Syria, rhetoric that has the potential to dangerously dictate how Congress will determine authorization.  A failure to address these fallacies, furthermore, puts us squarely on the cusp of another intractable war, one that […]

10 Syria Questions for John Kerry and Chuck Hagel

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/03/13 By Michael Shank This week, as members of Congress queue to ask Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, questions about Syria and about the Obama administration’s […]