Robert Young Pelton | The World's Most Dangerous Places 2012

Source: veritasradio.com, ComeBackAlive.com Synopsis
Robert Young Pelton is into extreme journalism. Extreme travels. Extreme conflict zones. So one might expect this media mercenary to have extreme political opinions. But he doesn't. His answers to Mel's questions are measured. Informed. Based upon total immersion observations. He treats America's history of self-serving behavior gently. He's rather gentle about everyone's behavior, in fact. Pelton's wild adventures seem to have bestowed a patient wisdom about mankind. Or maybe it was that horrid Canadian boys' school they sent him to as a child.

But whatever assembly of elements made this man who he is, it is utterly refreshing to gain perspective of geo-political realities from an intelligent world traveler uncompromised by allegiance to any one cause or country.

Pelton's Veritas discussion -- he's on the phone from Nairobi, on his way to Somalia -- touches upon realities on the ground in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan...He talks about Russia's history in Afghanistan, China in Africa, the African Union in theory and practice, North Korea, Cuba, Georgia, Chechnya, Venezuela, the EU, Bin Laden, 9-11, Obama, Clinton, the shrubs...This man packs a productive semester of information into two quick hours.

Despite his wealth of first hand knowledge, Pelton calls himself the world's worst expert on the U.S. government. "I don't know why they do what they do."