Michael Andregg

Michael Andregg
Born
Michael Murphy Andregg

1951
Alma materUniversity of California, Davis
Occupation(s)Educator, peace activist, author, documentarian
Known forStudies of the causes of war, human demographics, Peace and Conflict Studies

Michael Murphy Andregg (born 1951) is an American biologist, educator, researcher, and author known for his study of the causes of war, global problems related to war, sustainable development, intelligence ethics and his peace activism. He founded and directed for 30 years a non-profit organization called Ground Zero Minnesota dedicated to "top-quality, non-partisan education for informed democracy and human survival." Andregg has published numerous articles, study guides, documentaries and papers on biology, genetics, technology and contemporary social problems related to armed conflict. He has produced over 50 educational videos on wide-ranging subjects and his national award-winning book, On the Causes of War, was released in November 1997.

Education

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Andregg earned a Ph.D. in behavior genetics (1977) from the University of California, Davis after completing a triple-major B.S. in genetics, zoology and physical anthropology (1973). He studied under Theodosius Dobzhansky a prominent geneticist, evolutionary biologist and National Medal of Science recipient. During his university career, Andregg conducted field research on the behaviors of Barbary Apes (Macaca sylvanus) in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and co-authored several articles with his mentor Dobzhansky, including "Distribution Among the Chromosomes of Drosophila pseudoobscura of the Genes Governing the Response to Light".[1] and "Ecological Variables Affecting the Dispersal Behavior of Drosophila pseudoobscura and its Relatives."[2] After completing two years of postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota, he came to believe that war was a much greater public health hazard than rare diseases or abstract theories, and began to dedicate his life to the study of contemporary social problems, especially causes of war and sustainable development.

Career

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Andregg's study of global armed conflict and genocide resulted in his book, On the Causes of War, which won the International PeaceWriting Award in 1999, was reprinted twice, republished in Canada and translated into Italian. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses for 35 years as an adjunct at the University of Minnesota, with brief stints at Macalester and Gustavus Adolphus Colleges. He joined the Justice and Peace Studies faculty at the University of St. Thomas in 1993 and taught in the Aquinas Scholars program there until 2017. Andregg has lectured four times in South Korea and Japan on sustainable development, WMD and causes of wars, five times at Romania’s National Intelligence Academy, and at many other European conferences on intelligence reform, and human survival issues. He still lectures occasionally at American war and intelligence colleges, like the National Intelligence University, Army Command and General Staff College, and the Naval Postgraduate School.

In 1982, Andregg founded an educational, non-profit organization called Ground Zero Minnesota, which produced over 50 public television programs and sponsored about 5,000 educational programs in schools, churches, and civic groups on issues of peace and justice, many on the status and implications of weapons of mass destruction.[3]

Andregg began studying the craft of intelligence-gathering, analysis, espionage and action focusing on intelligence reform. He has arranged and moderated over twenty panels for intelligence-related conferences around the world, and presented at dozens more. He wrote a chapter on intelligence ethics for a textbook on intelligence studies,[4] a Handbook on Intelligence Ethics, and a similar chapter for The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence[5] in 2009.

His 2007 edited reader on intelligence ethics includes essays from 14 professionals from six countries. In 2008, Andregg released a documentary, Rethinking 9/11: Why Truth and Reconciliation are Better Strategies Than Global War,[6] which examines certain unanswered questions of who was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks and calls for a full, impartial examination of the evidence.

Andregg is a frequent public speaker, lecturer, media commentator[7] and mediator who has briefed Minnesota police, fire and public health officials on the effects of weapons of mass destruction.

In 2008, he acted as a liaison between peace activists and the local police department during the Republican National Convention, held in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[8]

Publications

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Awards

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  • January 17, 2006, recipient of a “Golden Candle Award” from OSS Inc. for “bringing light to dark corners of the intelligence community” for published work on mental illness among spies and on organizational obstacles to reform of dysfunctions in the American intelligence community.
  • In May, 1999, “On the Causes of War” (first published in 1997, reprinted in 1999 and 2007) won the International PeaceWriting Award administered by the English Department of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for "the outstanding work on peace in North America" that year. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5750629760b5e9d6697be6cd/t/59963a81d482e9edaffa67ed/1503017604395/On+the+Causes+of+War.pdf
  • In 1998, he was included in the International Who's Who of Intellectuals, and the Dictionary of International Biography.
  • One of 43 academics invited to the first, and then second Open Sources Conferences sponsored by the office of the then new Director of National Intelligence, Washington D.C., July 16–17, 2007, and in September 2008.
  • Stony Award, Fridley Community Cable, Public-access television, for best independent video documentary production, 1992. Title: "A Crisis for Democracy, Corruption in Government".
  • Peter J. Shields Fellow, University of California, Davis, 1975-76.
  • Field Research on Macaca sylvanus, Morocco (grant), 1973, under D. Taub, UCD anthropology
  • National Merit Scholarship Finalist, 1968.

References

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  1. ^ Dobzhansky, Theodosius, Olga Pavlovski and Michael Andregg. "Distribution Among the Chromosomes of Drosophila pseudoobscura of the Genes Governing the Response to Light." Genetics, 81:2, 1975.
  2. ^ Dobzhansky, Theodosius, J.R. Powell, C. Taylor and M. Andregg. “Ecological Variables Affecting the Dispersal Behavior of Drosophila pseudoobscura and its Relatives.” Genetics, 83:2, 1976
  3. ^ For Young Activists, Peacemaking 101 by Tom Ford and Bob von Sternberg, Minneapolis Star Tribune, December 17, 2002.
  4. ^ "Intelligence Ethics: Laying a Foundation for the Second Oldest Profession", Chapter 4 in the Handbook for Intelligence Studies, Routledge Press, 2007, 2009 edited by Loch Johnson.
  5. ^ Johnson, Loch K., ed. (2010-03-12). The Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence, the Oxford Handbook of National Security Intelligence. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195375886.001.0001. ISBN 9780199892211.
  6. ^ produced by ETS Pictures
  7. ^ Loll, Anna Catherin (7 November 2013). "Überwachung: Andregg: "Der BND ist kein bisschen unschuldiger als der KGB"". Die Zeit.
  8. ^ "Sheriff, police department clashed over RNC security". November 13, 2008.
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