Author: Michael Shank

Democracy Was Never America’s Nor Musharraf’s Goal in Pakistan

Arab News 01/06/2008 By Michael Shank The United States’ response to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto has been, unsurprisingly, consistent: this attack by terrorists, while an affront to freedom, must not stop democratic reform in Pakistan, let the elections continue. This mirrors, almost verbatim, post-assassination utterances by Pakistan President Pervez […]

Banco del Sur

Nepali Times 01/04/2008 By Michael Shank and Ami Carpenter The World Bank’s launch in late November of a five-year action plan for fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa is emblematic of the Bank’s new direction. The structural adjustment programs are of yesteryear. Less controversial campaigns are becoming more common and […]

Huckabee: Heroic Conservative?

Foreign Policy in Focus 12/26/2007 By Michael Shank Standing in prime position in the final weeks of pre-primary campaigning, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee seems poised to potentially rout his two major contenders, candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in the upcoming caucuses. There is reason for Huckabee’s recent rise […]

The Irony of Indonesia as Climate Change Host

The Jakarta Post 12/14/2007 By Michael Shank The irony of Indonesia hosting the United Nations climate change conference in Bali is not lost on anyone. The host county is the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the United States, and the world’s leader in deforestation rates at five […]

Congress’s Goals on CAFE, Biofuels Don’t Go Far Enough

THE HILL 12/06/07 By Michael Shank Coinciding with the United Nations climate change conference in Bali this week, Congress remains mired in energy bill deliberations. And it appears that foreign leaders abroad are the more formidable fighters against global warming. In the article “New groups get in ring as energy […]

Putting Iran on Annapolis Guest List Less of a Risk than Not

FINANCIAL TIMES 11/30/07 By Michael Shank Sir, Saudi Arabia and Syria hardly constitute a coalition of the craven (“Iran looms large over Arab ‘coalition of the frightened’ “, November 28). The appearance of these and other Arab states at the Annapolis peace summit is anything but an exhibition of anxiety […]

Annapolis Holds Opportunity for Mideast Peace

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH 11/25/07 By Michael Shank and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) The time has come for the world’s leaders to face hard truths concerning the Middle East, specifically the conflict between Palestine and Israel. On Tuesday, President George Bush will provide such an opportunity as leaders of the U.S., Israel, […]

Pakistan Tempts the Democrats

Foreign Policy in Focus 11/18/2007 By Michael Shank The Democratic presidential candidates have been salivating for a situation like Pakistan to come along the campaign trail. Eternally looking soft on security and stuck with no road map for Iraq and Afghanistan, Pakistan offers the candidates an opportunity to brandish new […]

Pakistan Isn’t Iran

USA Today 11/13/2007 By Michael Shank Michael Shank, Government Relations Adviser, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University – Arlington, VA. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., believes that Pakistan in 2007 is similar to how Iran was in the late 1970s. The senator is exhibiting an unfortunate lack of […]