George Michael (professor)
Encyclopedia
George J. Michael is an associate professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and administration of justice at The University of Virginia's College at Wise. He studies right-wing extremism, including the convergence of militant Islam and the extreme right, and is the author of Confronting Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism in the USA (2003), The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right
The Enemy of My Enemy
The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right is a book by political science professor George Michael of the University of Virginia Wise...

(2006), Willis Carto and the American Far Right (2008), and Theology of Hate: A History of the World Church of the Creator (2009).

Education

Michael has a B.S. from Widener University
Widener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...

 and an M.A. from Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

. He obtained his Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...

 in 2002, where he studied under Francis Fukuyama
Francis Fukuyama
Yoshihiro Francis Fukuyama is an American political scientist, political economist, and author. He is a Senior Fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford. Before that he served as a professor and director of the International Development program at the School of...

, with a thesis entitled "The U.S. Response to Domestic Right Wing Terrorism and Extremism: A Government and NGO Partnership."

Career

Described by The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...

 as a political extremism expert, he was awarded the University of Virginia's "Outstanding Research Award", awarded to a faculty member who "has contributed significantly to published research in his or her discipline".

Michael is a U.S. Air Force and Pennsylvania Air National Guard
Pennsylvania Air National Guard
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state.-Overview:The...

 veteran, who has also worked for the U.S. Army as an operations research analyst in a civilian capacity.

In 2003, he authored Confronting Right-wing Extremism and Terrorism in the USA, which discussed domestic terrorists and the threats they pose to U.S. "homeland security."

Political Science Quarterly
Political Science Quarterly
Political Science Quarterly is an American scholarly journal covering government, politics and policy, published continuously since 1886 by the Academy of Political Science. It is the oldest political science journal in the United States....

reviewed his 2006 The Enemy of My Enemy, writing:
George Michael's The Enemy of My Enemy explores the connections and possibilities for cooperation between a threat of substantial contemporary interest to policymakers, intelligence analysts, and political scientists—militant Islamic movements like the al Qaeda organization (AQO)--and one that is, in many respects, an incipient one, Western right-wing extremism. The book provides a good overview of the historical and intellectual wellsprings of these two movements, but ultimately does not provide a case that would justify alarm.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is an American counter-terrorism expert and attorney living in Washington D.C. He is the Director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank. He frequently consults on counter-terrorism...

 of The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...

also reviewed it, noting that it is from perfect, as at some points it has block quotes with very little analysis, and is too long, but that its value "can be found in its in-depth study of the on-again, off-again love affair between radical Islam and the extreme right."

His 2008 book Willis Carto and the American Far Right Michael explored how the founder of Liberty Lobby
Liberty Lobby
Liberty Lobby was an American political advocacy organization founded in 1958 that went bankrupt in 2001. It was founded by Willis Carto. In their own words,-Antisemitic world-view:...

, Willis Carto
Willis Carto
Willis Allison Carto is a longtime figure on the American far right. He describes himself as Jeffersonian and populist, but is primarily known for his promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial.-Influences on Carto:...

, shaped the position of the far right on various issues including immigration, globalization, Holocaust denial, and the Middle East conflict.

Michael says that post-9/11, underground radio stations that traffic in conspiracy theories and incite violence in the U.S. are under greater scrutiny as law enforcement has been given more power to prosecute such speech. He also says the American Free Press
American Free Press
The American Free Press is a weekly newspaper published in the United States.According to one former correspondent, the newspaper's direct ancestor was the publication The Spotlight, which ceased publication in 2001 when its parent company, Liberty Lobby, was forced into bankruptcy...

newspaper is "the most important newspaper of the radical right." He has observed that extremist groups such as the Guardians of the Free Republicans, which suggested in 2010 that all 50 U.S. governors step down or face removal, most often show evidence of "both left-wing and right-wing elements in their worldview". In the same vein, he notes that: "Traditionally, critique of the IRS has come from the right, such as the Christian patriot movement, but [sovereign citizen] movements also invoke a lot of left-wing ideas like anti-capitalism that are consistent with the times and the downturn in the economy, where people may have property liens against them."

Works

Books

Articles

Further reading

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