US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 01/23/17 By Michael Shank The vote for Trump’s defense secretary shows how the left rolls over on military issues. The Senate Democrats’ sound and fury over President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks and his political agenda is apparently signifying nothing – at least on defense policy. […]
HUFFINGTON POST 12/12/16 By Michael Shank Now that President-elect Donald Trump is positioning ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as head of the U.S. State Department and America’s top diplomat, expect U.S. foreign policy to adopt a more overt and explicit commitment to resource-based warfare. There is no question that Tillerson will […]
FAST COMPANY 11/11/16 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat Disposable clothes, often made from oil, in factories powered by coal, and shipped around the world, mean that the apparel industry contributes 10% of global emissions. This month as world leaders meet in Morocco to discuss implementation of the Paris climate […]
USA TODAY 09/14/16 By Michael Shank The real threat to national security is our own egregious activities in war zones. The American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others are launching a campaign this week to get President Obama to pardon Edward Snowden for his 2013 whistle-blowing […]
HUFFINGTON POST 09/12/16 By Michael Shank As a general rule, global goals are good. They focus the international community’s short-term attention, lock in preferred long-term targets and trajectories, and prioritize national governments’ policies and plans. This is a good strategy no matter how idealistic or optimistic any goal may appear […]
MSNBC 05/21/16 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bédat There are few industries fickler than fashion, changing annually and swapping seasonally. The good news is that fashion can, in theory, change more quickly than the energy or agricultural industries, for example. And when it comes to tackling climate change, agility and […]
FORTUNE 04/30/16 By Michael Shank and Carolyn Kissane There’s no more time for stalled sustainability measures. After 170-plus nations signed the Paris climate agreement last week and now with trans-Atlantic trade talks back on President Obama’s agenda, it’s clear that the international community’s trade rules will need to be rethought, […]
HUFFINGTON POST 04/22/16 By Michael Shank This was a big week for the United Nations, which came out strong on climate and the sustainable development goals and witnessed major milestones in recent months. First, on climate, post-Paris, there were over 160 countries signing the deal at UN headquarters on Earth […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 04/18/16 By Michael Shank The press totally missed the point of Bernie Sanders’ trip to the Vatican. “Sen. Bernie Sanders gets invited to the Vatican.” “Sen. Bernie Sanders meets with the pope.” Meetings and invitations, with whom and by whom, is how much of the […]
HUFFINGTON POST 04/13/16 By Michael Shank and Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo In April, twenty five years ago, Pope John Paul II wrote “Centesimus Annus,” an encyclical very similar to Pope Francis’s much-heralded “Laudato Si’”. Both encyclicals addressed the rampant exploitation of people and the planet. Both called for justice. Both […]