RICK STEVES, CITIZEN DIPLOMAT

After years of writing such great guides as "Europe Through the Back Door," and producing great videos for public television, Rick Steves has become a people-to-people diplomat. Lately, he's been lecturing about "Travel as a Political Act." It's no surprise he was just awarded the Citizen Diplomat Award from a huge gathering of the National Council for International Visitors.

Steves recently traveled to Iran "to build understanding between Iran and the U.S. and to defuse the tension that could be leading to war."

In case you missed his Iran travelogue, watch it now. Steves has a knack for connecting with people, and he sidesteps preconceptions (his and theirs) to explore Iran's rich and glorious past, as well as it's perplexing (to us) present. Will these prejudices lead us into a war with this nation? Let's hope Steves--and the new administration in Washington--are ushering in a new age of diplomacy, where we don't bomb first and ask questions later.

Rick Steves in Iran:



Visit Rick Steves' excellent travel site, Europe Through the Back Door," here
Bread for the World, is located here.