THE NATION 12/05/09 By Michael Shank Returning to Washington this week, after a whirlwind tour in Afghanistan, I am dizzy, not from delight but from the overwhelming disconnect between rhetoric stateside and reality Asia-side. Thankfully, my boss, Congressman Michael Honda, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Afghanistan Taskforce, is trying […]
Author: Michael Shank
Afghans Want U.S. to Stay but Do Things Differently
ROLL CALL 12/03/09 By Michael Shank Last week I went to Afghanistan, not on a Congressional delegation, but on my own. My boss, Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), is chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Afghanistan Taskforce and has a keen interest in rethinking U.S. strategy in this country. With the […]
Waking Up to Afghanistan’s Realities
THE GUARDIAN 12/03/08 By Michael Shank and Shukria Dellawar With Robert Gates remaining at the helm of the US defence department for another term, Barack Obama signals that the Pentagon’s modus operandi changes little. There are pros and cons to this. The good news: lessons learned from George Bush’s administration […]
After the Shooting Stops
THE GUARDIAN 11/28/08 By Michael Shank Post-catastrophe finger-pointing is both natural and necessary. Crisis responders frequently call for accountability (“Government, why didn’t you protect us?”) and summon mass appeals to rationality (“Why did this happen?”). Mumbai was no different. Hardly a manic minute passed after the massacre before Pakistan was […]
We Lead Developed World in Poverty and Inequality
THE HILL 11/17/08 By Michael Shank and U.S. Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) Late last month, buried beneath the noise of last-minute presidential campaigning, a 2008 report released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) cited rising inequality and poverty among member states. Press-released in Paris, this newsworthy point […]
Somalia Resurfaces
Foreign Policy in Focus 11/17/2008 By Michael Shank At long last, the fragile state of Somalia seems to be slowly resurfacing from a searing bout of violence and humanitarian crisis. Interestingly, the light at the end of this decades-long tunnel is not burning at the behest of the United States […]
This One Is Free, But It Can Happen Again
Hindustan Times 11/17/2008 By Amit Baruah Just around the time the MT Stolt Valor was being freed by Somali pirates, another Japanese vessel was hijacked off the Somalian coast. For us as a country, there’s no cause for immediate concern: no Indians were on board. Yes, there’s relief that the […]
Poverty, Political Instability and Somali Piracy
FINANCIAL TIMES 11/14/08 By Michael Shank Sir, To assume that the pervasive and persistent Somali piracy off the Horn of Africa is sound and fury signifying nothing of political substance, and that the solution to the madness is simply a summoning and tightening of security, is to completely misread the […]
A Puzzling Raid
The Economist 11/13/2008 By Michael Shank SIR- What unpropitious timing. On the heels of Syria playing friend, not foe, in relations with Lebanon and Israel and queuing for a diplomatic landing in London, American forces decide to pummel the burgeoning ally. (A puzzling raid, November 1st). In dealing with Damascus, […]
The Call for Change In the White House Is an Understatement
ROLL CALL 10/28/08 By Michael Shank and U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) On Nov. 4, America will celebrate the close of the most unprecedented presidential campaign in history. On several accounts past precedent has been handily usurped. Most notable: This was our nation’s most expensive campaign yet, surpassing $1 billion […]