National Geographic Author
Don at Chautauqua/photo by Michelle Kanaar
A longtime writer and editor
for National Geographic,
Don Belt is an award-winning
journalist, an acclaimed
teacher and public speaker,
and an experienced
communications strategist
working on behalf of worthy
causes and organizations.
Syria
For an in-depth look at Syria, including an interview with President Bashar al-Assad, see my story in the November 2009 issue of National Geographic.
And for further insights on Syria and foreign affairs in general, Follow me on Twitter: @dbelt50 or contact me at don@donbelt.org.
May 2013
May 17 and 18: I'll be delivering an address on Water Issues at the Cape May Forum in Cape May, NJ
April
April 11: Induction into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame in Richmond, VA
March
March 6 and 7: Lecturing and teaching at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland
March 8-19: Lecturing on a National Geographic Expedition to the Holy Land
October 2012
I spoke at the Rotary Club of Tysons Corner about global Water issues and the revolution in Syria.
August 2012
I lectured on the Trans Siberian Railroad from Beijing to Moscow for National Geographic Expeditions. Along the way, we stopped off in Mongolia, subject of my October 2011 Geographic story on Ulaanbaatar, and at Russia's Lake Baikal, which I wrote about in the magazine's June 1992 cover story, "The World's Great Lake."
July 2012
In July, I delivered an address on the geopolitics of water at the Chautauqua Institution during "Water Matters," a week-long National Geographic lecture series on our most precious natural resource. I also taught a writing workshop based on my articles about the Jordan River (April 2010) and Bangladesh (May 2011). And on July 24, during "Pakistan Week" at Chautauqua, I taught a master class in writing based on my reportage for the magazine's September 2007 cover story on Pakistan. To register, click here. To download free ebooks for both classes, click here or on the banner to the right.
Please watch this space for updates.
Recent Geographic Stories
The Urban Clan of Genghis Khan (October 2011)
An influx of nomads has turned Mongolia's capital upside down.
The Coming Storm: Bangladesh (May 2011)
The people of Bangladesh have much to teach us about how a crowded planet can best adapt to rising sea levels. For them, that future is now.
Parting the Waters: the Jordan River (April 2010)
A source of conflict between Israel and its neighbors for decades, the Jordan River is now depleted by drought, pollution, and overuse. Could the fight to save it forge a path toward peace?
The Holy Land Today (December 2009)
Geographic overview of a land still in turmoil.
Reinventing Syria (November 2009)
Poised to play a pivotal new role in the Middle East, Syria struggles to escape its dark past.
The Forgotten Faithful (June 2009)
Followers of Jesus for nearly 2,000 years, Arab Christians today are disappearing from the land where their faith was born.
India's Fast Lane to the Future (October 2008)
A new superhighway linking its four major ciites is bringing old and new India into jarring proximity.
Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan (September 2007)
Sixty years after its founding as a homeland for India's Muslims, Pakistan straddles the fault line between moderate and militant Islam. Its dilemma is a cautionary tale for the post-9/11 world.
A Geographic Life (August 2006)
Some people dream of exotic adventures with National Geographic. Thomas J. Abercrombie lived that dream.
