INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE / DAILY STAR EGYPT 08/11/2006 By Michael Shank and Khadija Ali A perpetual landmine for interventionists, Somalia has witnessed its share of inept approaches. Early in the conflict, the United States precluded any possible mediator role by denigrating the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) with Al-Qaeda and […]
Author: Michael Shank
Middle East Media Outlets Need to Start Countering the Bias of American Stations
THE DAILY STAR 07/13/2006 By Michael Shank Broadcasting its message throughout the Middle East, the US government’s communications campaign is extensive, strategic and extremely well financed. From Radio Farda in Iran to television’s Al-Iraqiyya in Iraq, the US government operates a multi-million dollar marketing campaign most intensively in Iraq and […]
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 […]
Interview with Samantha Power
Global Solutions Quarterly 05/11/2006 Conducted by Michael Shank Samantha Power is a Professor of Human Rights Practice at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her book, “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide, was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction, the 2003 National Book […]
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 Podcast of the Article 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 – […]
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 […]
Prophets in Pakistan
PEACE NEWS No. 2450, March-May 03 By Michael Shank “So how was Pakistan?” Friends eager to know more about my recent work in the Islamic Republic have had to wait patiently as I search my vocabulary for the appropriate words. My silence surprises me as well. Usually words do not […]
Becoming a Prophet
PEACE NEWS No. 2450, March-May 03 By Michael Shank “You can take as much time as you’d like, Michael. We’ve got the place reserved until 6pm,” whispered one of the organisers of Focus on South Asia, the peace conference recently held in Lahore, Pakistan for delegates from India, Pakistan, Sri […]
Talking at the Border
HIMAL MAGAZINE 02/03 By Michael Shank Michael Shank is a theatre artist who served as a conference facilitator at Focus on South Asia, a ‘youth peace conference’ organised by the Youth Initiative for Peace in Lahore in mid-December 2002. The conference was attended by 35 girls and boys from all […]