Tag: defense department

The Dangers of Soft Power

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 04/14/14 By Michael Shank The United States Department of Defense used it recently in Yemen and Pakistan. The U.S. State Department is using it right now in Afghanistan and Nigeria. The U.S. Agency for International Development used it in the last elections in Kenya. It’s […]

History Repeating Itself in Ukraine

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 03/07/13 By Michael Shank and Kimairis Toogood When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, the Republic of Georgia must feel like history is close to repeating itself. Georgia lost 20 percent of its sovereign territory to de facto Russian control in 2008 and now […]

Sign a Drone Treaty Before Everyone Does as We Do

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 02/04/14 By Michael Shank and Elizabeth Beavers We need an international agreement before the U.S. modus operandi becomes the international norm. It is time for an international conversation – and, ultimately, a treaty – on the use of drones. It is naïve to carry on […]

Defense Department in Somalia

CDN 01/13/14 By Michael Shank WASHINGTON, January 13, 2014 — As the U.S. Department of Defense announced last week that American soldiers are re-entering Somalia after 20-plus years avoiding the country, the need for new solutions to this crisis is critical. The answer to the rebel group al-Shabaab’s growth in […]

Somalia Needs a War on Poverty

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 01/13/14 By Michael Shank That the Pentagon admitted, this month, to sending its military back into Somalia after a 20 year absence of explicit involvement (never mind the extensive covert operations in the country), should trouble anyone who cares about security on the Horn of […]

U.S. Soldiers in Somalia and the Pentagon’s Unlearned Lessons

HUFFINGTON POST 01/11/14 By Michael Shank News that the Pentagon is sending its military back into Somalia, after 20 years, shows that America is still missing the point on the Horn of Africa when it comes to preventing violence. Has the Defense Department learned that little in its many misadventures […]

U.S. Credibility Around the World Damaged by Afghanistan War

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 12/16/13 By Michael Shank, Daniel L. Davis, and Shukria Dellawar As the December 31st deadline for the U.S.-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement gets pushed back, given unresolved disagreements over the post-2014 U.S. presence, it is clear that American clout in Kabul is not what it once […]

Defense Department Gives Local Police Equipment Designed for a War Zone

FOX NEWS 11/27/13 By Edmund DeMarche From war zones to city streets, some military vehicles are getting a new life — and not everyone is happy about the recycling. The Defense Department recently announced it would be giving domestic law enforcement forces hulking vehicles designed to efficiently maneuver in a […]

Drones Strikes in Pakistan Are Hurting America

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 […]