HUFFINGTON POST 06/13/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan A high-level panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released its recommendations last month for a global development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015 and when approximately one billion people will still […]
Europe
Embassy Hosts High Level Debate on United Nations
LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE 06/20/12 On June 20, 2012, the Embassy of France hosted a conference organized by the French-American Global Forum (FAGF), the Maison Française and the Monde Diplomatique newspaper about the current state of the United Nations. The event was part of a series called “Le Monde Diplomatique Debates” […]
Increasing the Peace Can Reduce the Debt
ROLL CALL 04/02/12 By Michael Shank and Former Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) Three months in and 2012 is setting trans-Atlantic records for harsher-than-normal austerity measures and disillusioned voters. East of the Atlantic, Greece struggles to regain footing while Portugal, Italy and Spain teeter on the brink. West of it, […]
German Lessons for US Manufacturing
FINANCIAL TIMES 03/07/12 By Michael Shank and Thorben Albrecht Sir, With reference to your report (“Romney talks China to Ohio”, US Politics & Policy, March 2): if the candidate is looking for manufacturing answers, take a lesson from Germany. Losing 4m jobs over the past 10 years, US manufacturing has […]
Why Washington Must Look to Ankara
THE GUARDIAN 05/15/11 By Michael Shank Turkey’s economic strength and diplomatic stature are growing fast. The US needs to nurture closer ties. America has yet to figure out whether Turkey is friend or foe. With conflicts in Libya and Afghanistan, and tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, Turkey’s generous military and […]
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 […]
High-Level Engagement by US and UK is Needed vis a vis Iran
FINANCIAL TIMES 07/01/08 By Michael Shank Sir, Let us for a moment consider the merits of engagement (“A very small step: Pyongyang’s nuclear declaration is no breakthrough”, editorial, June 27). Three successes in 2008 are particularly salient and worth citing. US ambassador Christopher Hill’s persistent diplomatic penetration of North Korea’s […]