Author: Michael Shank

Invest in the Afghan People Not Foreign Contractors

Al Jazeera 06/03/2012 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) With NATO’s meeting in Chicago two weekends ago building consensus on critical next steps vis-a-vis anticipated withdrawals and deadlines, discussion of the development agenda post-withdrawal in Afghanistan must not slip from our radar screen. The truth is that […]

When Washington Welcomes A Nonviolent Muslim

POLITICO 06/02/12 By Michael Shank CBS News “60 Minutes” recently produced a show about Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, spurred by concern about the so-called Hizmet movement’s alleged connection to a growing network of high performing and nationally ranked charter schools in the US.  These schools rank in Newsweek’s top […]

America’s Next Move in Afghanistan Must Be a Non-Military One

Huffington Post 06/01/2012 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) With NATO’s recent meeting in Chicago building consensus on critical next steps vis-a-vis anticipated withdrawals and deadlines, discussion of the development agenda post-withdrawal in Afghanistan must not slip from our radar screen. The truth is that development in […]

Afghanistan Exit Strategy Must Focus on Development

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 05/31/12 By Michael Shank and U.S. Representative Michael Honda (D-CA) With NATO’s meeting in Chicago two weekends ago building consensus on critical next steps vis-a-vis anticipated withdrawals and deadlines, discussion of the development agenda post-withdrawal in Afghanistan must not slip from our radar screen. The […]

White House, Congress Choosing Wrong Path on Iran

ROLL CALL 05/23/12 By Michael Shank Recent Istanbul negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 and this week’s Baghdad negotiations have tempered, albeit temporarily, the cry for war. It was close under President George W. Bush, who rallied regime-changers to invade, but it is worse now. The Pentagon publicly prepares plans, […]

NDAA 2013: Congress Approves Domestic Deceptive Propaganda

RUSSIA TODAY 05/22/12 Reauthorizing the indefinite detention of US citizens without charge might be the scariest provision in next year’s defense spending bill, but it certainly isn’t the only one worth worrying about. An amendment tagged on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 would allow for the […]

10 Most Peaceful Cities

MSN 05/21/12 By Bill Briggs America’s tranquility centers appear to be a strange brew of sleepy corners, college hubs and bustling urban swaths, according to new research. The 2012 Metropolitan Peace Index, which the Institute for Economics and Peace published in April, ranks the nation’s 61 largest metropolitan statistical areas […]

Gridlock is Death for Deliberation

FINANCIAL TIMES 05/21/12 By Michael Shank Sir, Edward Luce is spot on regarding Capitol Hill appraisal of partisanship pulling punches on solutions (“Why Washington gridlock is here to stay”, Book Review, May 14). One solution – speaking as a left-leaning voter who once worked for a Republican Congressman – is […]