US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 11/13/13 By Michael Shank Tribal elders in Afghanistan are preparing to meet next week to discuss the Bilateral Security Agreement between the U.S. and Afghanistan, which governs details of the relationship between the countries after 2014. But news this week of Afghans protesting against the […]
WASHINGTON TIMES 11/07/13 By Michael Shank WASHINGTON, November 7, 2013 — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry desperately needs a win on the Afghanistan war. Unfortunately, however, it appears increasingly unlikely he will get one. Despite repeated visits and discussions, Kerry has so far failed to secure a clean Bilateral […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 10/25/13 By Michael Shank Irrespective of the latest reports on possible collusion between U.S. and Pakistani spy agencies, Amnesty International’s newest report on the unlawful American drone killings in Pakistan – that kill more civilians than the White House admits and could amount to war […]
REUTERS, CHICAGO TRIBUNE 10/22/13 By Michael Shank and Elizabeth Beavers This month, more Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles (MRAPs) have found their way from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the Main Streets of America. These are just the latest acquisitions in a growing practice by Pentagon that’s militarizing America’s municipal […]
WASHINGTON POST 10/18/13 By Michael Shank Regarding the Oct. 15 editorial “Afghanistan’s future”: Afghan President Hamid Karzai will ultimately favor a deal allowing a U.S. force to remain in Afghanistan after 2014 because he knows that the Kabul administration would otherwise fall within months of the United States pulling out. […]
HUFFINGTON POST 10/17/13 By Michael Shank The Bilateral Security Agreement deal, forged by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, will be quickly undone since the U.S. is not focused on the right kind of settlement. Attacks on Afghan officials in the last week show how […]
HUFFINGTON POST 10/14/13 By Michael Shank As U.S, Secretary of State John Kerry heralds the near-complete negotiations over a Bilateral Security Agreement with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, one thing is certain: immunity for U.S. troops post-2014 isn’t going to happen. It’s a political non-starter. No Afghan presidential candidate, queuing for […]
HUFFINGTON POST 10/10/13 By Michael Shank and Elizabeth Beavers America’s streets are looking more and more like a war zone. Last week, in a small county in upstate New York with a population of roughly 120,000 people, county legislators approved the receipt of a 20-ton Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) […]
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 […]
AFP 10/07/13 WASHINGTON (AFP) – By ordering risky raids against Islamic extremists in Somalia and Libya, US President Barack Obama has shown a renewed readiness to use force while trying to keep the scope limited. The twin commando operations in the lawless African states came even while the US government […]