James Morrison
Articles by James Morrison
Embassy Row
Liberia's former ambassador to the United States is planning to challenge one of the world's most influential women when he returns to his West African homeland after Christmas to run against President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Published December 21, 2010
Embassy Row
Nearly one-third of Muslim college students in Britain support killing in the name of religion, while 40 percent want to live under Islamic law, according to a secret cable from the U.S. Embassy in London that reviewed public polling data and government population predictions. Published December 19, 2010
Embassy Row
Britain's outspoken Prince Andrew shocked the U.S. ambassador in the Kyrgyz Republic with "astonishingly candid" comments at a hotel brunch, when he compared France to corrupt Central Asian governments, complained about meddling journalists and proclaimed a new round of the "Great Game" between London and Moscow for influence in the region. Published December 16, 2010
Embassy Row
Kenya risks a violent backlash worse than the political upheaval after the 2007 presidential election that left up to 1,500 dead, unless the East African nation adopts "significant reforms" that include ending the "culture of impunity" for top politicians like the president and prime minister, the U.S. ambassador in Nairobi warned in a confidential report earlier this year. Published December 14, 2010
Embassy Row
A secret cable from the U.S. Embassy in Honduras described former President Manuel Zelaya as a corrupt politician with links to organized crime a year before President Obama rushed to his defense after the Honduran Congress and courts removed Mr. Zelaya from office and created a diplomatic crisis in the Western Hemisphere. Published December 12, 2010
Embassy Row
Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe will "cling to power" for as long as possible, and a popular revolt against him would result in a bloodbath, according to a former U.S. ambassador to the southern African nation that Mr. Mugabe has ruined through disastrous economic and racial policies since 1980. Published December 9, 2010
Embassy Row
After only five months in Berlin, the U.S. ambassador to Germany was "astonished" at the depth of "paranoia" among German politicians over suspected U.S. foreign policies, even conservative allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Published December 7, 2010
Embassy Row
Europe fears that the WikiLeaks scandal will undermine confidence in U.S. diplomatic security, as the unauthorized release of hundreds of thousands of secret documents foreshadows a cyberthreat facing NATO nations, a top Hungarian official said on a visit to Washington. Published December 5, 2010
Embassy Row
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi fears flying over water, likes to watch flamenco dancers, insists on staying on the ground floor of hotels when he travels and never leaves home without his "voluptuous blonde" Ukrainian nurse, who might be having an affair with the "world's longest-serving dictator." Published December 2, 2010
Embassy Row
In February, Turkey privately expressed opposition to increased sanctions on Iran but acknowledged that the entire Middle East is worried about the theocratic regime developing nuclear weapons. Published November 30, 2010
Embassy Row
American ambassadors around the world are warning of damage to U.S. foreign policy from another secret-document dump Sunday by the website WikiLeaks, which was widely denounced after releasing classified reports in July and October that endangered informants in Afghanistan and Iraq. Published November 28, 2010
Embassy Row
The ancient Eastern European nation of Moldova was buffeted throughout its long history, repeatedly invaded by Goths, Huns, Mongols and Romans, and later coveted by Ottoman Turks, Nazis and the Soviet Union. Published November 25, 2010
Embassy Row
An attack on a Russian opposition leader who testified before Congress last week has refocused attention on a bill to impose a U.S. travel ban on dozens of Russian officials suspected of complicity in the death of a Russian human rights lawyer in a Moscow prison last year. Published November 23, 2010
Embassy Row
The U.S. ambassador in Canada, a political ally of President Obama's, appears to be sending mixed messages about the Republican takeover of the House in the midterm elections. Published November 21, 2010
Embassy Row
A former British ambassador who served in Washington through the critical years before the Iraq war gave rave reviews Thursday to the new book by President George W. Bush, calling "Decision Points" interesting and readable "with frequent flashes of humor." Published November 18, 2010
Embassy Row
The U.S. ambassador in Kenya announced Tuesday a ban on four top government officials and a businessman from traveling to the United States because of suspected connections to drug smugglers he compared to "infectious rats." Published November 16, 2010
Embassy Row
A former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic is accusing the country's deputy finance minister, who is in charge of fighting corruption, of asking for a bribe two years ago to settle a business dispute. Published November 14, 2010
Embassy Row
A top Bulgarian official scolded the U.S. ambassador in Sofia after the American envoy complained that Bulgaria is ignoring an offer from a U.S.-based oil company to develop vast amounts of natural gas from shale deposits. Published November 9, 2010
Embassy Row
The new ambassador from Jamaica means business, literally. Published November 7, 2010
Embassy Row
The Russian Embassy is in mourning for Victor S. Chernomyrdin, prime minister of the Russian Federation from 1992 to 1998. Published November 4, 2010
