Shak Hanish

• Comment: I can't see how "presumed notability" could apply here, so for example WP:NPROF does not. In any event all the relevant sources go to the author, so zero independent reliable sources to confirm notability. See the WP:GOLDENRULE - listing what the subject has done through their own hand is not sufficient, what matters is what other people have said of the subject. In addition this appears to be an autobiography. In which case unless the subject is also a trained copywriter it is highly unlikely to succeed, though not formally banned. ChrysGalley (talk) 12:13, 26 September 2026 (UTC)

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Shakhanish (talk) 01:21, 26 September 2026 (UTC)

---

Shak Hanish is an Iraqi-born American political scientist and professor at National University in California. He is a professor and director of the university's Political Science Program. His research has focused on Middle Eastern politics, particularly Iraq, religious and ethnic minorities, federalism, electoral systems, human rights, and political and cultural identity.

Early life and education

Hanish was born in Iraq and left the country in 1980. In a 2005 Los Angeles Times report on Iraqi expatriate participation in Iraq's elections, he described his opposition to the Ba'ath Party and his experiences under the government of Saddam Hussein. The newspaper identified him as a Chaldo-Assyrian Christian and an international relations professor.

Hanish earned bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from San Diego State University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Northern Arizona University in 1998. His areas of specialization included international relations, comparative politics, and Middle Eastern politics and history.

Academic career

Hanish has taught political science, international relations, Middle Eastern studies, history, sociology, cultural studies and Arabic-language courses. In addition to National University, his teaching has included appointments or instructional work at San Diego State University, Chapman University, Northern Arizona University and California State University, Long Beach.

At National University, he became a full professor and director of the Political Science Program. The university credits him with developing its political science program. His academic interests include world politics, Middle Eastern politics, ethnic and religious minorities, human rights, women's rights, political Islam and federalism.

Hanish has also served as an international guest professor and lecturer. National University lists academic activities in China, Turkey, Palestine, Kosovo and Serbia.

Research and scholarship

Much of Hanish's research has concerned post-2003 Iraq and the political and social position of minority communities. His scholarship has examined Chaldean, Assyrian and Syriac identity, the situation of Christians, Yazidis and Mandaeans, minority autonomy, Iraqi federalism, Kirkuk, electoral institutions and the role of religion in the Iraqi political system.

In 2007, he published The Role of Islam in the Making of the New Iraqi Constitution in the Digest of Middle East Studies. The article examined the place of Islam in the Iraqi constitutional process.

His 2008 article The Chaldean Assyrian Syriac People of Iraq: An Ethnic Identity Problem examined competing conceptions of identity among Iraq's Chaldean, Assyrian and Syriac communities.

In Christians, Yazidis, and Mandaeans in Iraq: A Survival Issue, he examined the circumstances of several religious minority communities following the 2003 Iraq War.

Hanish also wrote about the disputed status of Kirkuk. His 2010 article The Kirkuk Problem and Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution discussed competing Kurdish and non-Kurdish positions and possible approaches to Kirkuk within Iraq's federal system.

His 2011 article Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in Iraq: The Chaldo-Assyrian Case considered proposals for autonomy and minority rights in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Hanish contributed the chapter The Mandaeans in Iraq to the Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East, edited by Paul S. Rowe.

His other work has addressed Iraqi electoral laws, Iraqi federalism, Kurdish politics, the Islamic State's impact on minorities, and electoral systems.

Conferences and international academic activities

Hanish has presented research at conferences in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. His earlier conference work included presentations on Iraqi politics and minority issues at the Middle East Studies Association and the World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies, as well as conferences in Honolulu and Athens.

At the 2010 International Conference on Politics and International Affairs in Athens, he presented The Autonomy Issue for the Chaldo-Assyrians in Iraq: A Realist Assessment.

At the same conference series in 2011, he presented The Iraqi Election Law: An Assessment, which examined the electoral law used for Iraq's 2010 national election, including questions concerning representation of ethnic communities, political groups and Iraqis living abroad.

In 2012, he presented A Province for the Chaldo-Assyrians in Iraq: A Realist Perception, continuing his research on territorial and political arrangements for minority communities in Iraq.

His later international academic activities have included teaching and lectures at universities in China and participation in academic programs elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East.

Public commentary

Hanish has also participated in public discussions concerning Iraq and Middle Eastern affairs. During the 2005 Iraqi election, the Los Angeles Times interviewed him about participation by Iraqi expatriates in the United States and his experiences in Iraq.

He has subsequently participated in educational and community programs on Iraq, Middle Eastern politics and cultural diversity. In 2022, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District announced a presentation by Hanish on cultural diversity in the Middle East as part of its Arab American and Middle Eastern heritage programming.

Selected works

• Hanish, Shak (2007). "The Role of Islam in the Making of the New Iraqi Constitution." Digest of Middle East Studies. 16 (1): 30–41. doi:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2007.tb00063.x
• Hanish, Shak (2008). "The Chaldean Assyrian Syriac People of Iraq: An Ethnic Identity Problem." Digest of Middle East Studies. 17 (1): 32–47. doi:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2008.tb00145.x
• Hanish, Shak (2009). "Christians, Yazidis, and Mandaeans in Iraq: A Survival Issue." Digest of Middle East Studies. 18 (1): 1–16. doi:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2009.tb00104.x
• Hanish, Shak (2010). "The Kirkuk Problem and Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution." Digest of Middle East Studies. 19 (1): 15–25. doi:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2010.00002.x
• Hanish, Shak (2011). "Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in Iraq: The Chaldo-Assyrian Case." Digest of Middle East Studies. 20 (2): 161–177. doi:10.1111/j.1949-3606.2011.00090.x
• Hanish, Shak (2019). "The Mandaeans in Iraq." In Paul S. Rowe (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Minorities in the Middle East. Routledge. pp. 159–169.

References

This article "Shak Hanish" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Shak Hanish. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

---