Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys Through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific

by Robert Young Pelton

Book Overview

Robert Young Pelton introduces an extraordinary cast of characters from three of the most war-ravaged countries on earth - the West African country of Sierra Leone, the breakaway republic of Chechnya,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592281001
• ISBN13: 9781592281008
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Three places I wouldn't visit.

The author shows his personal travel iternary of failed states in Africa, Europe and Asia. They are Sierra Leone, Chechneya, and Bouganville (part of Papua New Guinea). I have traveled widely and even visited some of Pelton's own 100 dangerous places, but I don't think I would travel to these destinations. The author shows the terror of the RUF, and describes the mercenaries of Executive Outcomes. In Chechneya, he shows the terror of the scorthed earth policy of the Russians in their desire to conquer the breakaway province. In Bouganville, he shows how an out of touch government has taken liberties with a remote province. In all three, precious minerals are being exploited for the benefit of an elite. They are diamonds, oil, and copper. I don't know if I agree completely with all the author states. He relays quite a bit of the mercenaries tales, but these are soldiers of fortune who do not have the local population's interests at heart. In regards to the Chechens, I don't believe the Russians killed their own people to stage a conquest of this province. This is interesting reading, and it gives one man's perspectives.

Another great one from RYP

Another great book by Robert Young Pelton. There's something deeply wrong with this guy going to Chechnya like that, but he gives a great feel of what's going on there at street level, as well as some enlightening history that very few of us have any clue about. The Sierra Leone section tells of that area after things began to settle a little. While much has been written about the wars there and the diamond industry this book really adds a dimension to the Sierra Leone picture for me. As for Bougainville, all I knew was that there was a war there, but had never learned anything about it. Like all of RYP's books this is a great read and well worth the money.

Good book but...

where are the pictures? He goes to all these places, meets all these different personalities, admits that he has a camera and where are they? Now I don't need pictures in a book for me to read it but his stories I think would be enhanced with photos of his journeys. The book is good and is part adventure/travel/survival/third world political science. In his travels, Mr. Pelton does not seem to take any easy route to go anywhere. He gets smuggled into Chechnya and tracks down a rebel leader on his own choice. The rebels who are known for kidnapping foriegners and journalists are meanwhile being tracked and bombed by the Russian military. He goes to Bougainville when everyone including the people that live there tell him not too. Why? I think because as he feels that there is a story to tell and it usually is not the "popular" one fed to most news agencies. Case in point is his Chechnya visit, where again he chooses to go to the "terrorists", not to give them a voice, but to get the unpopular side of the story (especially when considering the lack of freedom of the press in Russia). It is an objective look at the history of the Chechnya/Russian relationship and the situation where atrocities are seem to be committed by both sides. He even "interviews" a captured Russian soldier whose handlers casually tell Mr. Pelton he will most likely be executed the next day. The part on Sierra Leone is equally impressive, probably because there has been more press about the atrocities and violence there. So as long as Mr. Pelton feels the need to travel to different "worlds gone mad", writing the about the lesser known histories and/or conflicts, he will most likely have me as a reader of his books.

Robert Young Pelton

I've read everything he has out. Loved it! It's current (as books go), funny, serious and a great read!

A must of the armchair traveller....

Not exactly LP, but it tells stories of two places that beenextremely dangerous and one that still is.in SL conflict(the hunter) was fuelled by greed, diamonds made many Lebanese come to SL andthe become rich on trading, MEA (middle east airlines) flewin several of their big passenger planes to rescue it's citizens, SLisn't a tourist resort nowadays like The Gambia today, but still not extremely dangerous.Bougainville (the Heaven) was Oz mining company property until the fightingdrove them of the island, PNG gov tried to recruit SA mercs to"conquer" the island and start mining again, but it failed badly.Chechenya (the Hammer) was also about greed, in this case oil-pipelines fromAzerbadjian. The late Chechen leader Dubajev was a former Sovietairforce general that was married to an Estonian lady, he stoppeda carnage in the Baltic states planned by hard-liners. The Russians was later upset by the Estonians because the gave away3 plane loads of roubles to the Chechens (arranged by Georgia) that the Russians refused to take as payment for oil deliveries, the money came when Estonia changed currency from the Soviet rouble to the Estonian Kroon.3 stories about where everything gone haywire, but in two casesthe violence have halted, at least temporary...