Роберт Янг Пелтон: Жизнь на линии огня

Canadian American author (born 1955)

Robert Young Pelton (born July 25, 1955) is a Canadian American author, journalist, and documentary film director. Pelton's work usually consists of conflict reporting and interviews with military and political figures in war zones. Pelton has been present at conflicts such as the Battle of Qala i Jangi in Afghanistan, the Battle of Grozny (1999–2000) in Chechnya, the rebel siege to take Monrovia in Liberia, and the siege on Villa Somalia in Mogadishu, and has been with ground forces in about 40 other conflicts. He spent time with the Taliban and the Northern Alliance pre 9/11, the CIA during the hunt for Osama bin Laden and also with both insurgents and Blackwater security contractors during the war in Iraq. Pelton's regularly published survival and political guide The World's Most Dangerous Places, provides practical and survival information for people who work and travel in high risk zones, and is a New York Times bestseller. He was also the host of the Discovery Travel Channel series entitled Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places from 1998 to 2003. Now residing in Los Angeles, Pelton currently writes books and produces documentaries on conflict related subjects and documentaries.

Pelton was born July 25, 1955, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At age 10, he began attending Grade 6 at Saint John's Cathedral Boys' School in Selkirk, Manitoba, a school that became famous for a wilderness curriculum that included one thousand mile canoe trips, snowshoe marathons, raising animals, and advanced study of Latin, history, and religion. Later an offshoot/affiliate school (St John's Ontario) became known for the deaths of a number of students in what became known as the Lake Timiskaming tragedy.

Artist Billy Tucci illustrated and wrote a 64 page illustrated novel entitled Roll Hard based on one of Pelton's chapters in Licensed to Kill. The book documents the true story of a team of Blackwater misfits who must travel up and down the most dangerous road in Iraq. Pelton rode every mission with the team for a month, which routinely came under attack. After Pelton left the team, they were hit by an IED with one fatality and a number wounded. Wired magazine described it as "At a time when comics are still dominated by busty babes, zombies, and superheroes wearing tights, Pelton and Tucci's gritty, journalistic portrayal of America's fighters for hire is a profound departure." Publishers Weekly described the book: "While that's a prime setup for endless scenes of action movie carnage, the narrative instead focuses on the men as professionals and what makes them put their lives on the line for a daily payout around $600. It's that spotlight on the humanity of the contractors that make this an engaging read, and artist Tucci (Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion) turns in understated, realistic artwork that is among the finest of his career. While the role of contractors in the Iraq conflict is controversial, this gives it a human face."

In order to gain access, Pelton has spent an unusual amount of time living with, traveling with, and documenting some of the world's best known insurgent groups. Some of the groups Pelton has lived with and interviewed include, the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, the LURD in Liberia, MILF in the Southern Philippines, Bougainville Revolutionary Army, the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Southern Sudan, the Taliban in Afghanistan, the FARC, and AUC in Colombia, the Chechen rebels and the Karen National Liberation Army, the Karen National Union and the Free Burma Rangers in Burma His access and interviews initially were to create The World's Most Dangerous Places. His unusual and death defying efforts to get this access soon then morphed into his TV series and then into a series of other books and film projects. Pelton has described and shown how he gets access and world exclusive interviews in his TV series The World's Most Dangerous Places for the Discovery Channel, investigating and reporting from the inside the drug business in Colombia and Peru, the mafia in Georgia and Turkey, and bounty hunting in Mexico.

Pelton executive produced and hosted seven one hour specials for Discovery from 1998 until 2003. Pelton travels to meet rebel leaders in Afghanistan, Chechnya, the Philippines, Colombia, West Africa, and even militias in the United States. His list of interviews includes Afghan leaders like Massoud and General Dostum, African child soldiers and rebels in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Sudan, Colombian rebels included the FARC's Mono Jojoy, Alphonso Cano, and Marulando along with many other wanted leaders. One of his most well known interviews is his exclusive interview of "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh. His interview was featured on CNN and became the first time an American al Qaeda member had been interviewed after 9/11.

As of 2014, Pelton was a strategic advisor to the founders of the Search and Rescue NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station or MOAS. In addition to advising the charity, Pelton arranged feature profile articles in the New York Times, Outside, BBC, ITV, and other media. Pelton also provided on the ground research on migrant conditions in camps and prisons in Libya, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Europe.