Michael Shank

Yemen’s a Model All Right—For Disaster
Friday, November 14, 2014 - 06:38
Guns, drones, and special forces were not enough to stabilize Yemen, and they won’t be enough to stop ISIS. Remember the so-called “Yemen model,” the seeming success story for a U.S. policy targeting terrorists that President Barack Obama pointed to a few months ago? Well, it’s not a model anyone would want to point to anymore.
Congress Should Reform Security Assistance In Africa
Thursday, August 8, 2013 - 12:15

* Note: This piece originally ran in US News & World Report on 08/08/2013. *

Why we should keep out of Somalia’s affairs
Monday, August 5, 2013 - 08:29
Last weekend, in response to a deadly attack on the Turkish embassy in Somalia that killed three and wounded nine, the U.S. government responded by saying that, “this cowardly act will not shake our commitment to continue working for the brighter, more democratic and prosperous future the people of Somalia deserve.”...Somalia can stand tall in spite of countless interventions by neighbors near and far. Perhaps the best byword for Somalia is “resilience,” a trait that is essential as the country looks toward a new dawn.