"I wonder where the mother bear is."--famous last words of travelers in bear country
"Are you feeling lucky, punk?--you know who
A first step in appraising and planning for hazards in a high-risk area is to visit the U.S. State Department website. The site reports on the following: changing health conditions, minor political disturbances, entry regulations, crime and security and threat information, and drug penalties.
Threat information can be critical if you are traveling to a high-risk area. The department advisories report attacks, assassinations, kidnappings, car-jackings, robberies, civil disturbance, land mind threats and other incidents. Quite often the data and advisories will be specific to regions and provinces within a country and even districts within a city.
People with internet access can register to receive immediate announcements at the following url: (https://travelregistration.state.gov). Another valuable resource is the Terrorism Knowledge Base (http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp) which provides an updated list of terrorist incidents by country. Groups responsible for the attacks are also identified.
The Economist (British Financial Journal) also provides excellent background on political climate in different countries (see: http://www.economist.com/countries). This should be required reading for anyone doing business in an unstable or dangerous foreign country.
Anyone visiting a high-risk area should also visit the website of Robert Pelton Young (author and travel-risk expert; see: http://comebackalive.com/site3.php). Young is the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places, a voluminous atlas on travel to all the world's most dangerous places. His site (as well as his book) offers practical tips on survival for those contemplating dangerous trips.