RIA NOVOSTI 05/20/14 NEW YORK, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – It is “deeply problematic” for the EU and the US to promote a free trade zone deal that eschews big developing economies, according to a legislation expert for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby group. Supporters of […]
Environment
TTIP Will Only Be to The Benefit of Industries
RUSSIA TODAY 05/19/14 Most of the working groups involved in trade negotiations are represented by industries and such biased approaches raise concerns over access and the transparency of the whole process, Michael Shank from Friends Committee on National Legislation told RT. “If you want to be a part of the […]
Of Drone Strikes and Violence: A Personal Search for Nonviolent Solutions in Yemen
CDN 04/27/14 By Michael Shank WASHINGTON, April 27, 2014 — America is leaving a devastating legacy in Yemen thanks to its program of drone strikes. Without question, America’s approach is doing much to destabilize this impoverished country, undermine constitutional and electoral efforts to unify her people, and devastate the local […]
Why I’m Going to Yemen
HUFFINGTON POST 04/25/14 By Michael Shank Following on the heels of the “massive and unprecedented” U.S. drone strikes in Yemen this month, which killed scores of Yemenis, I’m headed there for a week’s worth of research. Admittedly, the timing isn’t great as al-Qaeda is likely keen to counter the Obama […]
How to Resolve the Crisis in Ukraine
CDN 04/18/14 By Michael Shank WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 — The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) urges Congress, the Obama administration and policymakers throughout the European Union to adopt policies toward the Ukraine crisis that deescalate the conflict while providing a constructive path forward. The diplomatic deal struck this […]
Conyers Pushes Bee Protection Bill
POLITICO 04/09/14 By Jenny Hopkinson Pending legislation in the House of Representatives aimed at providing greater protections to pollinators is necessary to ensure a steady food supply and prevent agricultural losses, says Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), sponsor of the measure. In an op-ed in Roll Call, Conyers and Michael Shank, […]
Why Congress Should Care About the Beepocalypse
ROLL CALL 04/08/14 By Michael Shank and U.S. Congressman John Conyers This year, food security is set to suffer another big setback, and the culprit could not be cuter: honeybees. Last winter, America’s beekeeping industry lost nearly half of all its bee colonies. And the numbers keep falling. Last summer, […]
Ukraine Crisis Underscores Need for Renewables Push
CNN 04/07/14 By Michael Shank and Former Congressman Russ Carnahan Editor’s note: Russ Carnahan was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is now a partner at Carnahan Global Consulting, a consultancy that also advises firms in the energy sector. Michael Shank […]
A Budget for Working America
THE HILL 04/04/14 By Michael Shank and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) To hear corporate America tell it, our economic recovery is going great. The top 1 percent of earners saw their incomes grow by 31.4 percent from 2009-2012. Oil companies are seeing record profits. Unfortunately, that’s not the recovery — […]
Oil Is At The Heart Of The Ukraine Crisis
POLITIX 03/24/14 By Michael Shank For anyone questioning the fundamental energy and resource connection to most geopolitical struggles and conflicts, the West’s wrestle with Russia over Crimea is illustrative of merely the latest energy-related conflict in a long litany of ones. While perhaps not as dramatic as America’s removal 60 […]