HUFFINGTON POST 05/21/15 By Michael Shank It’s official. The Department of Homeland Security has placed me on a travel watch list. Every time I travel abroad, I now have “SSSS”, which stands for Secondary Security Screen Selection, on my boarding documents. That means I get an extra rigorous full-body screening, […]
GLOBAL BRIEFING October 2014 By Michael Shank The USA’s air strikes on ISIS positions could inadvertently exacerbate Iraq’s problems, given the recent history of the West’s interventions in the country Iraq continues to pose a conundrum for the international community. Many in the West feel that Iraq is perpetually ungovernable […]
CNN 02/03/14 By Michael Shank and Des Browne Editor’s note: Des Browne is the former U.K. Secretary of State for Defense. Michael Shank is the associate director for legislative affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. The views expressed are their own. Iran has begun implementing the Joint Plan […]
FOX NEWS 02/01/14 By Michael Shank From a political perspective, defending Turkey’s blend of political Islam and neoliberal economic policies was not terribly difficult a decade ago. After all, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped build the 17th largest economy in the world and what would be the sixth largest […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 12/06/13 By Michael Shank and Kate Gould With the United States and Iran finally on a path toward resolving the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, a member of Congress on the House Armed Services Committee is playing the spoiler, urging the United States to prepare […]
WASHINGTON TIMES 11/12/13 By Michael Shank and Kate Gould WASHINGTON, November 12, 2013 — Even without a final nuclear deal with Iran, this weekend’s intensive negotiations in Geneva resulted in major diplomatic achievements that warrant mention. First and foremost, since direct contact between U.S. and Iranian diplomats has long been […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/11/13 By Michael Shank One of the most disturbing dynamics about President Barack Obama’s speech to the American people and what’s gone down in the last week in Washington – vis-à-vis military strikes in Syria – is the Obama administration’s willingness to break constitutional and […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/09/13 By Michael Shank Syria’s welcoming this week of Russia’s proposal to put its chemical weapons under international control should put a pause on the Obama administration’s frenzied full court press this week – vis-à-vis invasion – which includes six television network interviews, a live […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 09/03/13 By Michael Shank This week, as members of Congress queue to ask Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, questions about Syria and about the Obama administration’s […]
CNN 08/29/13 By Michael Shank and US Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) Editor’s note: Michael Shank is director of Foreign Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The views expressed are their own. The Americans don’t want […]