Arab News 10/20/2006 By Michael Shank Jack Straw’s recent commentary on niqab, or full veil, as a “visible statement of separation and of difference” that “makes it more difficult” for people “to acknowledge each other” signifies the latest in Europe’s embarrassing blunders. Following the pope’s political impropriety, former British foreign […]
International Herald Tribune/Daily Star Egypt 10/20/2006 By Michael Shank Britain’s ex-foreign secretary’s recent commentary on the Muslim niqab, or full veil, as a “visible statement of separation and of difference” that “makes it more difficult” for people “to acknowledge each other” signifies the latest in Europe’s embarrassing blunders. Following the […]
International Herald Tribune/Daily Star Egypt 10/18/2006 By Michael Shank With the United States Congress appealing to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa for intervention in Darfur, and with Moussa’s offer to provide peacekeeping troops, one gets the impression that the League is finally taking itself seriously. Historically, the Arab League […]
The Daily Times (Pakistan) 10/08/2006 By Michael Shank and Saira Yamin President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that former United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage threatened to “bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age” is sadly ironic: Musharraf is already doing it. This year, Musharraf diligently assisted the US in […]
International Herald Tribune/Daily News 10/04/2006 By Michael Shank Book Review: Conservatives without Conscience John W. Dean; Penguin Group; 186 pages; $25.95. Given the opportunity to correct President Bush’s political blunder wherein he stated that “this nation is at war with Islamic fascists,” John Dean, author of best-selling Worse than Watergate, […]
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE / DAILY NEWS EGYPT 08/23/2006 By Michael Shank The Bush Administration’s policies in the Middle East were originally sold as a means of encouraging democracy. What they’re actually doing is fostering a growing pan-Islamicism. The Bush administration calls it the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), a frighteningly […]
JAKARTA POST 08/14/2006 By Michael Shank and Hasballah Saad The United States Congress recently passed a contentious bill that allocates over US$6 million to Indonesia for military equipment and training in 2007. Two checks will be issued: $4.5 million under Congress’ Foreign Military Financing program and $1.28 million under Congress’ […]
ARAB NEWS 08/13/2006 By Michael Shank & Khadija Ali From Afghanistan to Latin America, recent history suggests that the US policy of funding militias that operate outside a national government structure has negative long- and short-term consequences. The militias are difficult to control and they do not have a vested […]
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE / DAILY STAR EGYPT 08/11/2006 By Michael Shank and Khadija Ali A perpetual landmine for interventionists, Somalia has witnessed its share of inept approaches. Early in the conflict, the United States precluded any possible mediator role by denigrating the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) with Al-Qaeda and […]
THE DAILY STAR 07/13/2006 By Michael Shank Broadcasting its message throughout the Middle East, the US government’s communications campaign is extensive, strategic and extremely well financed. From Radio Farda in Iran to television’s Al-Iraqiyya in Iraq, the US government operates a multi-million dollar marketing campaign most intensively in Iraq and […]