THE HILL 09/27/07 By Michael Shank, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) House and Senate conferees working on the omnibus energy bill should include provisions in the conference report that will support the expansion of sustainable biofuels. To do that, several myths about biofuels need to be […]
Author: Michael Shank
Pioneers Can Secure Our Future
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH 09/13/07 By Michael Shank and US Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) Russia, Canada, and the United States are rushing to the North Pole in a pioneer-like land grab for an estimated 25 percent of the world’s unknown oil and gas reserves. One wonders when we will learn. Oil and […]
Wal-Mart is Walking the Walk on Sustainability
FINANCIAL TIMES 09/12/07 By Michael Shank Sir, With reference to “Soft soap? Why the greening of Wal-Mart may hinder the way to a sustainable world” (September 10): it should be a soft sell for the unconverted. Preaching with no less flair than a southern Baptist preacher, Arkansas’ Wal-Mart is leading […]
Reducing Taliban Recruitment by Development
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE OPERATIONS Vol. 3, No. 1, July-Aug 07 By Michael Shank United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ recent commentary that “things are slowly, cautiously headed in the right direction” in Afghanistan convinced very few. General Dan McNeill, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, seconded the […]
The Need for a Robust Security Strategy in Iraq
JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE OPERATIONS Vol 2, No. 5, March-April 07 By Michael Shank The 43rd MÜNICH Conference on Security Policy, an annual February forum discussing security and foreign policy challenges in European and American relations, brought the latest chastisement of United States security policy, this time by the Germans. […]
Understanding Political Islam in Somalia
CONTEMPORARY ISLAM No. 11562, March 07 By Michael Shank Preface By the time this article is published, much will have transpired in recent months within Somalia. Between December 2006 and January 2007, the Ethiopian and United States governments invaded Somalia by land and air, respectively, ousting the ruling Union of […]
US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement: A Model for Climate Change Action and Social Movements
GMU 2006 By Michael Shank Abstract: Over seven-hundred U.S. mayors are signatories to the Mayors Climate Protect Agreement, which commits each signatory’s city to aggressive emissions reduction standards. The seven-hundred-plus signatories represent a social movement that is unparalleled in the U.S.; no other public or private organization is exhibiting this […]
Social Justice is the Will of the People: An Interview with Noam Chomsky
SEATTLE JOURNAL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE Vol. 3, Issue 2, Spring/Summer 2005 By Michael Shank The Transforming Social Justice section of this issue explores what social justice is, what the social justice movement has accomplished, and whether the movement should transform itself to confront today’s most pressing issues effectively. Mr. Noam […]
Redefining the Movement: Art Activism
SEATTLE JOURNAL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE Vol. 3, Issue 2, Spring/Summer 05 By Michael Shank FOREWORD BY HOWARD ZINN* When I think of the relationship between artists and society – and for me the question is always what it could be, rather than what it is – I think of the […]
Socially Irresponsible Investing
THE MENNONITE Vol. 7, No 11, June 04 By Michael Shank When a financial services firm such as Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA), a company committed to socially responsible investing, makes investment decisions, they rely on a philosophy of stewardship for guidance. The firm’s philosophy is guided by a set of […]