International Analysis

Talking with the Taliban

THE GUARDIAN 10/14/08 By Michael Shank Wandering seven long years in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan with hardly an end in sight, the US has just been offered a most fortuitous fix. It likely eludes America’s current president and queuing candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, but not for […]

A Whole, Different View

THE HILL 09/30/08 By Michael Shank and U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-Ill.) In forming the foundation of our country’s defense strategy, George Washington tilted the tenor of this town in a specific direction, noting that, “to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” […]

Energy Is at the Heart of Many Recent Conflicts

Richmond Times-Dispatch 09/16/2008 By Michael Shank The raison d’etre of the row between Russia and Georgia now seems obvious enough to the trained eye. Wading through a geopolitical swamp of post-Cold-War balkanization, this latest conflict was the result of a potent mixture of Russian nationalism, Ossetian-Abkhazian quest for identity and […]

Obama, McCain Don’t Grasp Roots of Pakistan’s Instability

THE HILL 09/12/08 By Michael Shank (Regarding article “McCain, Obama applaud Musharraf’s resignation,” Aug. 18.) Have presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) learned nothing from the resignation of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf? Both noted the exit of coup-installed Musharraf should “open the door to cooperation…in the […]

U.S. Airstrike in Pakistan

New York Times 09/10/2008 By Michael Shank What unpropitious timing for America to attack Pakistan at the dawn of new democratic elections (“U.S. Attack on Taliban Compound Kills 23 in Pakistani Border Area,” news article, Sept. 9). In a Pentagon-commissioned, five-missile airstrike that was hardly coincidentally timed, Washington’s agenda was […]

Global Peace Index Ranking Doesn’t Flatter the U.S.

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH 08/10/08 By Michael Shank and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) In the tradition of politically charged Olympics of the past, the 2008 summer games in Beijing have become an arena to contest some of the world’s most egregious conflicts. From concerns over China’s crackdown on Tibetan rights to the […]

High-Level Engagement by US and UK is Needed vis a vis Iran

FINANCIAL TIMES 07/01/08 By Michael Shank Sir, Let us for a moment consider the merits of engagement (“A very small step: Pyongyang’s nuclear declaration is no breakthrough”, editorial, June 27). Three successes in 2008 are particularly salient and worth citing. US ambassador Christopher Hill’s persistent diplomatic penetration of North Korea’s […]

Liberal Persuasions

Economist 06/28/2008 By Michael Shank SIR – I attended the recent conference on Islam in Kuala Lumpur and can confirm that the Dutch preference for pre-empting religious flare-ups was well expounded not only by a Dutch lawyer, Famile Fatma Arslan, whom you mentioned, but also by an adviser to the […]

Conference Cites a Growing Gap in Muslim-Western Relations

Richmond Times-Dispatch 06/17/2008 By Michael Shank Last week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, suffering internal political setbacks and susceptible to overthrow by opposition, hosted a major tete-a-tete on the growing gap between the Muslim world and the West. The prime minister is a moderate; his agenda was […]

McCain’s Irresponsibly Rosy Outlook on Iraq, Afghanistan

THE HILL 05/21/08 By Michael Shank That Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) cavalierly quips about first-term presidential accomplishments is not only deeply disconcerting, but also morally irresponsible (article, “McCain vows unprecedented transparency,” May 15). Half-baked heroism has handily usurped the Straight Talk Express. The only unprecedented part of McCain’s presidential pitch […]