Jay Paterno is continuing his career as “a writer and consultant on politics, leadership, crisis communications, and public relations” by expanding his tour of the Middle East to visit a number of repressive regimes across the globe.

Of course, Paterno’s trip and praise toward Saudi Arabia through a mouthpiece of the government was surprising.

After the Penn State trustee and former assistant football coach penned his op-ed for Arab News, he decided he’d make a trip to Venezuela. The country has been a hotbed of human rights violations under Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship, and the Organization of American States claims he has carried out 8,000 extrajudicial executions on top of arbitrarily detaining and torturing political opponents.

“I decided to put macro-geopolitical controversies aside and hang out with Maduro when he invited me to Venezuela,” Paterno said. “Venezuela is a country of immense beauty once you look past the starving people and hyperinflation. Still, I can see that Maduro is planting the seeds to create a better society.”

After his trip to Venezuela, Paterno decided he would accept an invite from Kim Jong-un. Paterno explained that despite the country’s complete media control, forced labor, and brutal killings of those in positions of power, his trip to North Korea was an incredible experience.

“I was definitely hesitant about visiting North Korea until I realized how my Judeo-Christian view of the world was distorting my opinions on the country,” Paterno said. “When I got there, the people were accepting and friendly, just as they’d be in the United States.”

Paterno also mentioned that he has plans to visit Syria in the near future. The world must hope that Jay Paterno continues his brave work to support oppressive regimes around the world.