International Analysis

How the Arab Spring Sprung From a Nonviolent Source

Huffington Post 09/22/2011 By Michael Shank This year, as the world witnesses revolutions erupting throughout North Africa and the Middle East and watches autocrats give way to people power, there is increasing fascination in the West with the nonviolent nature of some of these movements. From policy-makers to the press, […]

On 9/21/11 (UN Day of Peace): How Peaceful Is the World?

Huffington Post 09/21/2011 By Michael Shank Today, September 21, 2011, as the world celebrates the UN-recognized International Day of Peace, it is worth taking stock on the global community’s ability to keep the peace. Take a look at the 2011 Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and […]

The Costly Errors of America’s Wars

THE GUARDIAN 07/25/11 By Michael Shank After ten years, $4tn and thousands of lives, the US needs an exit from the depressing impasse of its militarised foreign policy This month, as the Pentagon and the CIA countenance a changing of the guard – welcoming Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and CIA […]

Why West Needs Turkey

Arab News 06/16/2011 By Michael Shank America has yet to figure out whether Turkey is friend or foe. With conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan, and tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, Turkey’s generous military and aid contribution pleases Washington. With Armenia, Israel and Iran, however, Turkey spurns Washington for refusing the […]

Why Washington Must Look to Ankara

THE HILL 05/17/11 By Michael Shank America has yet to figure out whether Turkey is friend or foe. With conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan, and tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, Turkey’s generous military and aid contribution pleases Washington. With Armenia, Israel and Iran, however, Turkey spurns Washington for refusing the […]

Islam’s Nonviolent Tradition

THE NATION 04/27/11 By Michael Shank This article appeared in the May 16, 2011 edition of The Nation. As the world witnesses revolution erupting throughout North Africa and the Middle East and watches autocrats give way to people power, there is increasing fascination in the West with the nonviolent nature […]

Why Washington Must Look to Ankara

THE GUARDIAN 05/15/11 By Michael Shank Turkey’s economic strength and diplomatic stature are growing fast. The US needs to nurture closer ties. America has yet to figure out whether Turkey is friend or foe. With conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan, and tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, Turkey’s generous military and […]

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 […]

A Real December Review for Afghanistan

THE NATION 01/03/11 By Greg Kaufmann The War in Afghanistan is the longest in US history [1], at 110 months, and the most expensive, at $1 million per soldier and over $100 billion annually. There have been over 2,200 [2] US and coalition casualties, and tens of thousands of Afghan […]

Restarting Relations with Venezuela

WASHINGTON TIMES 03/26/10 By Michael Shank Traveling recently in a congressional staff delegation to Venezuela, I found my experience was not too dissimilar from my previous experiences in Syria and Iran. This is not to say that I am aggregating these three states into some kind of axis-of-evil or rogue […]