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![Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi]()
According to documents released by WikiLeaks quoting U.S. diplomats, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was accused of being "erratic" and was criticized for constantly being with a Ukranian nurse who one cable described as "a voluptuous blonde."![Iranian Nuclear Power Plant]()
Iran, whose nuclear exploits led to U.N. sanctions earlier this year, earned copious criticism, but not just from traditional corners. Cables said officials in Jordan and Bahrain have openly called for Iran's nuclear program to be stopped by any means possible. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates reportedly referred to Iran as "evil" and an "existential threat."![Saudi Arabian King Abdullah]()
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, is seen shaking hands with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah. The cables reported Abdullah urging the United States to attack Iran's nuclear program and to "cut off the head of the snake." The cables also reported a source calling Ahmadinejad "Hitler." Ahmadinejad reportedly insists that the documents were written by the U.S. government, and that relationships between his neighboring countries will not be affected.![China and the Koreas]()
Loaded trucks crossing the Friendship Bridge that connects China and North Korea line up Monday as diplomats call for advancement in the efforts to ease tensions between North and South Korea. WikiLeaks reported talks between the U.S. and South Korea that revealed a long-term plan for the "eventual collapse of North Korea." North Korea's Kim John Il was reportedly called a "flabby old chap" by a U.S. source.![Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari]()
The New York Times reported the cables show U.S. concern over Pakistan's nuclear power plants. Saudi Arabian King Abdullah is critical of Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, pictured, referring to Zardari as "the greatest obstacle to Pakistan's progress." He goes on to say, "when the head is rotten, it affects the whole body."![German Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Westerwelle]()
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is reportedly said in one cable to be risk aversive, to have a lack of creativity and to be a "teflon politician," which in this case may not be a bad thing. The cable was addressed to President Oabama days before he met Merkel in March 2009. The cable also mentions German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and calls him inexperienced, "a wild card," and an unreliable ally.![Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh]()
It was revealed in a January 2010 cable that Yemen's President Abdullah Saleh told U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, in reference to the U.S. missile strikes on Al Qaeda targets in Yemen, "We'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours." The BBC reports that Deputy Prime Minister Rashad Alimi then joked that he had lied to parliament by telling them that the recent air raids in Arhab, Abyan and Shweba had only be U.S. made, but fired by Yemeni forces.![Google Headquarters in Beijing China]()
Cables from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing reported that China's Politburo reportedly directed a cyber intrusion into Google's computer systems as part of a "coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws."![President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai]()
The Guardian reported that in one cable, Afghan's President Hamid Karzai was described as an "extremely weak man who did not listen to facts but was instead easily swayed by anyone who came to report even the most bizarre stories or plots against him." The cable also reportedly depicts Karzai's brother as a corrupt drug trafficker.![French President Nicolas Sarkozy]()
The Guardian reported that a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Paris called French President Nicolas Sarkozy "thin-skinned" with an "authoritarian personal style," citing his habit of repeatedly scolding his team and the French prime minister.![Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi]()
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin were criticized in the documents for their close relationship. While Berlusconi was called "feckless, vain and ineffective as a modern European leader" and "physically and politically weak" due to his partying habits, Putin was accused of overstepping Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The cable said, Medvedev "plays Robin to Putin's Batman." Berlusconi's and Putin's exchange of "lavish gifts" was also of concern the U.S. embassy, which alerted Washington, the Guardian reported.![WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange]()
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks is being accused by lawmakers of putting American lives in danger and breaking down the trust between the Untied States and its allies. Rep. Peter King urged Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to designate WikiLeaks a "foreign terrorist organization." Holder said Monday the U.S. is treating the leaks as a criminal investigation.Leaked Diplomacy: Grudges Revealed
On Sunday, WikiLeaks posted more than 250,000 American diplomatic cables that included criticisms of leaders all over the world. The New York Times, the Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and El Pais had access to the documents before they were published and highlighted some excerpts from the cables.
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- Leaked Diplomacy: Grudges Revealed
