James Morrison
Articles by James Morrison
Embassy Row: Gibralter seeks rock-solid backing from U.S.
The head of the government of Gibraltar is urging the U.S. to take sides with the British territory in its latest dispute with Spain, which demands sovereignty over the promontory that it claims is an illegal colony. Published October 10, 2013
Embassy Row: Not shut down
U.S. embassies around the world are conducting most diplomatic services in the second week of the partial government shutdown, although some ambassadors note they are not doing "business as usual." Published October 8, 2013
Embassy Row: Iran sanctions undermined by shutdown, Rep. Royce says
The chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs is accusing Treasury Secretary Jack Lew of "severely" threatening U.S. national security by suspending "nearly all" of the staff that tracks the enforcement of sanctions against Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. Published October 6, 2013
Embassy Row: Diplomatic roulette with Venezuela
Expulsion of U.S. and Venezuelan embassy officials is a game of diplomatic roulette that started under Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez. Published October 3, 2013
Senators threaten cuts in Iraq aid over attacks on Iranian exiles
Two senators warned Iraq on Thursday that it could face a sharp cut in aid if it continues to fail to protect unarmed Iranian dissidents after a deadly attack on a refugee camp north of Baghdad last month. Published October 3, 2013
Embassy Row: The ‘darkness of exploitation’ in sex trade
The U.S. ambassador in Mexico warned about the dangers of modern slavery in a recent newspaper article but declined to mention Mexico's failure to stop what he called "this horrible exploitation." Published October 1, 2013
Embassy Row: Al-Shabab expands its threat
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs this week plans to focus on the threat posed by al-Shabab terrorists, as the Islamist militants spread outside their native Somalia in their hunt for Western and U.S. targets after their assault on a shopping mall in Kenya. Published September 29, 2013
Embassy Row: Hong Kong not America’s business
China's communist rulers are accusing the top U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong of interfering in the country's internal affairs by promoting democracy. Published September 26, 2013
Embassy Row: Iraqi responsibility
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations this week demanded that Iraq's prime minister rescue seven Iranian hostages held near Baghdad and protect more than 3,000 other dissidents from attacks. Published September 24, 2013
Embassy Row: Message to John Kerry
From Capitol Hill to Brussels, supporters of the Iranian opposition are urging Secretary of State John F. Kerry to take action against Iraq for the massacre of 52 Iranian exiles by Iraqi gunmen. Published September 22, 2013
Embassy Row: Shocking testimony about Iran sanctions
A key Republican on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations was flabbergasted after a senior U.S. diplomat claimed Thursday that sanctions against Iran are the "most effective" she had ever seen. Published September 19, 2013
Embassy Row: Diplomatic condolences
U.S. diplomatic missions lowered the American flag to half staff Tuesday to honor the victims of the Washington Navy Yard shooting, as foreign officials and diplomats sent condolences to the White House and the families of the 12 victims killed in the rampage. Published September 17, 2013
Embassy Row: Unleashing the wolves on Iranian exiles in Iraq
Amir Emadi feels betrayed by the Obama administration, which he accuses of abandoning his father and thousands of other unarmed Iranian exiles in Iraq. Published September 15, 2013
Embassy Row: Spectator to slaughter in Iraq
Former U.S. officials are urging Secretary of State John F. Kerry to listen to his own words about Syria and turn his outrage toward the massacre of 52 unarmed Iranian dissidents shot execution-style by Iraqi gunmen in a refugee camp north of Baghdad where the United States had guaranteed their safety. Published September 12, 2013
Embassy Row: Obama’s accidental diplomacy on Syria
President Obama's reversal of fortunes over Syria sparked Twitter posts from Washington to Moscow, as foreign policy analysts Tuesday tried to follow the latest twist in the accidental diplomacy at the White House. Published September 10, 2013
Embassy Row: Another massacre in Iraq?
Iranian opposition leaders and their U.S. and European supporters are urging President Obama to draw a "red line" in Iraq — a week after gunmen killed 52 Iranian dissidents at a refugee camp north of Baghdad. Published September 8, 2013
Embassy Row: ‘No earthly ties’
The Jamaican ambassador in Washington apparently believed that Jamaicans smuggled into the United States as children would benefit when President Obama proclaimed a targeted amnesty last year. Published August 22, 2013
Embassy Row: ‘She’s very rich’
If confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy would be one of America's richest diplomats, with income from corporations that would make a liberal howl "One percenter!" if she weren't a Kennedy. Published August 20, 2013
Embassy Row: Swiss diplomat ‘unfit’ for U.N.
After criticizing the U.N. for its "entrenched" bureaucracy, Samantha Power now is trying to block the re-election of a Swiss diplomat accused of lavishing praise on dictators and abuse on Israel. Published August 18, 2013
Embassy Row: Pardon the ‘inconvenience’ in Egypt
The U.S. Embassy in the Egyptian capital issued impassively worded warnings to Americans in Egypt and promptly closed its doors Wednesday afternoon, only three days after reopening the diplomatic compound that was shuttered last week because of a terrorist threat. Published August 15, 2013
