Dan Morrison's Blog, page 8

Stories That Ring True: The Black Nile

Part travelogue, part crazy adventure tale, part political reportage: Veteran foreign correspondent Morrison and a buddy build a boat and paddle up the Nile River through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt. Morrison's African river journey is a paradoxical mixture of awe-inspiring discoveries, eye-opening human interactions and perilous escapes. — Chuck Leddy, the [...:]

Why is F.A. Hayek #1 on Amazon?

I have no idea.
The New Deal didn't turn America into fascist Italy or Nazi Germany, as the Nobel laureate economist apparently predicted. Despite that fizzled prognostication, Hayek has the the  number one book on Amazon right now. What's the deal? Did Glenn Beck talk him up? (Yes he did.) Or is it because of [...:]

What makes "War" so good?

It's been days since I finished tearing through War, the new book by Sebastian Junger, and I still still can't figure out what makes it so good.

A few things stick out.
The setting is both extreme and unique — a tiny primitive American outpost in eastern Afghanistan where a handful of very young men engage [...:]

Buddha's Birthday + Memorial Day = Fun

Off to Calcutta for a four-day weekend, where I'll take extra care when crossing the storied Howrah Bridge, which is apparently in structural danger thanks to the ceaseless toxic expectorations of the city's millions. (Photo by Flickr user Bradford Daly.)

Laurie Garrett on The Black Nile

"Dan Morrison is too young to have been part of the Gonzo movement. But if Hunter Thompson decided to travel the Nile, from its Ugandan source to Alexandria, encountering gun-toting whackos, crazed religious zealots, scary profiteers and a rich cast of characters in one of the world's most contested regions — well, [...:]

Sudan: Where Children Vote

My newest piece, a bit truncated, on the opinion pages of today's Daily News. Apparently I'm keeping Charles Krauthammer's seat warm.

Sudan: How to Throw an Election

My new article, published yesterday in Slate, looks at the twisted politics behind Sudan's recent election. Check it out.

Winning by Losing in Sudan

What's Sudan like?
It's the kind of place where the leading opposition party will do anything to avoid winning the presidency.
Notwithstanding the best efforts of the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement to help him over the finish line, it appears that alleged war criminal Omar al-Bashir still may not have received 51 percent of the vote [...:]

Nick Clegg is no Harry Perkins.

The surge in popularity by Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats ahead of Britain's general election is the kind of story an American can get behind. Fresh face, clean values, no nukes, green as green, come out of nowhere — etc.
We love that stuff.
As brought home by recent statements on the part of his boarding [...:]

Nick Clegg is no Harry Perkins, but maybe he'll do?

The surge in popularity by Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats ahead of Britain's general election is the kind of story an American can get behind. Fresh face, clean values, no nukes, green as green, come out of nowhere — etc.
We love that stuff.
As brought home by recent statements on the part of his boarding [...:]