Peter Lavelle
Encyclopedia
Peter J. Lavelle is host of CrossTalk, a television program
of the Russia
-based, publicly-funded English language
satellite channel RT
. Lavelle, from California
and now based in Moscow
, is the network's key political commentator.
Prior to CrossTalk, Peter Lavelle hosted at RT's “IMHO” In My Humble Opinion and “In Context.” Both programs were a quarter of an hour long and aired on weekends. At one point in time, "In Context" ran as an half hour program covering current events with Lavelle's opinions.
(1992–1995) and a Fulbright scholar doing research in Poland (1993–1995). He has been living in Eastern Europe
and Russia for over 25 years.
Before becoming a television commentator and television host, Peter Lavelle wrote and was published extensively. He has worked for or contributed to Asia Times Online
, The Moscow Times
, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, National Public Radio (NPR), United Press International
, In The National Interest
, The Moscow News and the American monthly journal Current History
, to mention only the most notable. Lavelle was also the author of "Untimely Thoughts", an electronic newsletter.
In an August 2010 online interview, Peter Lavelle characterized his journalism as "dissent" in an American tradition that is being forsaken in the land of its birth. He denies allegations of Kremlin spin-doctoring, saying Russia Today's main aim is to "ask our audience one basic thing: Question More."
In response to the US Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Walter Isaacson's claims that his organization needs to fight its "enemies", defined as Iran's Press TV, China's CCTV, and Russia's Russia Today, Peter Lavelle said that he "doesn't have anything to do with journalism". Instead, Lavelle said that he is a promoter of a "media war" designed to push "the US foreign policy agenda" onto a world that is increasingly skeptical about it. Lavelle attributes this to him "not moving on from the Cold War", coupled with concerns about media funding cuts in a time of economic uncertainty . Hillary Clinton also stated that "We (USA) are losing the Information War against our enemies." The USA is at war with Iran, China and Russia without their knowledge.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
of the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
-based, publicly-funded English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
satellite channel RT
RT (TV network)
RT, previously known as Russia Today, is a global multilingual television news network based in the Russian Federation run by the state-owned state-run RIA Novosti....
. Lavelle, from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and now based in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, is the network's key political commentator.
Prior to CrossTalk, Peter Lavelle hosted at RT's “IMHO” In My Humble Opinion and “In Context.” Both programs were a quarter of an hour long and aired on weekends. At one point in time, "In Context" ran as an half hour program covering current events with Lavelle's opinions.
Biography
Lavelle did his doctoral studies in European history from the University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
(1992–1995) and a Fulbright scholar doing research in Poland (1993–1995). He has been living in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Russia for over 25 years.
Before becoming a television commentator and television host, Peter Lavelle wrote and was published extensively. He has worked for or contributed to Asia Times Online
Asia Times Online
Asia Times Online is a bilingual English‒Chinese, Internet-based newspaper covering geopolitics, politics, economics and business "from an Asian perspective"...
, The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times
The Moscow Times is an English-language daily newspaper published in Moscow, Russia since 1992. The circulation in 2008 stood at 35,000 copies and the newspaper is typically given out for free at places English-language "expats" attend, including hotels, cafés and restaurants, as well as by...
, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, National Public Radio (NPR), United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, In The National Interest
The National Interest
The National Interest is a prominent conservative American bi-monthly international affairs magazine published by the Center for the National Interest. It was founded in 1985 by Irving Kristol and until 2001 was edited by Anglo-Australian Owen Harries...
, The Moscow News and the American monthly journal Current History
Current History
Current History is the oldest United States-based publication devoted exclusively to contemporary world affairs. The magazine was founded in 1914 by George Washington Ochs Oakes, brother of New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs, in order to provide detailed coverage of World War I. Current History...
, to mention only the most notable. Lavelle was also the author of "Untimely Thoughts", an electronic newsletter.
Controversy
In February 2010 Lavelle claimed on the show that "the people that perpetrated 9/11 were not even fundamentalists at all". In addition, he has labelled those who called Vladimir Putin's regime as authoritarian as a "hasty and dangerous exaggeration."In an August 2010 online interview, Peter Lavelle characterized his journalism as "dissent" in an American tradition that is being forsaken in the land of its birth. He denies allegations of Kremlin spin-doctoring, saying Russia Today's main aim is to "ask our audience one basic thing: Question More."
In response to the US Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Walter Isaacson's claims that his organization needs to fight its "enemies", defined as Iran's Press TV, China's CCTV, and Russia's Russia Today, Peter Lavelle said that he "doesn't have anything to do with journalism". Instead, Lavelle said that he is a promoter of a "media war" designed to push "the US foreign policy agenda" onto a world that is increasingly skeptical about it. Lavelle attributes this to him "not moving on from the Cold War", coupled with concerns about media funding cuts in a time of economic uncertainty . Hillary Clinton also stated that "We (USA) are losing the Information War against our enemies." The USA is at war with Iran, China and Russia without their knowledge.