American Diplomat Podcast

Want to know what it’s really like on the frontlines of international diplomacy? Each week, Amb. (Ret.) Pete Romero and co-host Laura Bennett sit down with active and retired US diplomats to pull back the curtain on the gritty, human side of international affairs. From dealing with foreign leaders to navigating the chaos of war zones, these diplomats share the stories that drive the headlines.

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Latest Podcast Episodes

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April 13, 2024

Don't Poke the Panda - Taiwan's Election

Ambassador Richard Boucher joins us to contextualize Taiwan's recent election in its deliberately ambiguous relationship with mainland China. No big news is good news as Taiwan preserves its integrity by not declaring its overt independence, a lesson learned in Hong Kong. The wild card? Xi Jinping.

April 13, 2024

No More Funny Business in Guatemala (For Now)

Frank Mora, US Ambassador to the Organization of American States, helps us understand a diplomatic win: the (barely) peaceful transfer of power following Guatemala’s election of an outsider who is a threat to the corrupt establishment. Expectations are high, that the new president will both confront those who resist change - who have done much to thwart the transfer of power - and promote inclusive governance. Que viva la democracia!

April 13, 2024

The Border, Part 2: This is North America’s Moment

Amb. Tony Wayne is back to go into depth on the US-Mexico border’s two greatest challenges. How did drug trafficking become even more sinister than it was before? And can we improve the immigration crisis ahead of the upcoming US election? What is at stake and what will it take, diplomatically and otherwise, to solve these issues?

April 13, 2024

Zone of Opportunity: Trust at the Border

Did you know that $1.5M dollars in trade cross the US/Mexico border every single minute? Did you know that 5 million US jobs depend on the trade that takes place there? Ambassador Tony Wayne explains that the border is a living membrane and trust is the crux of managing conflicting interests and mutual challenges. Lethal synthetic drugs are very small! How do you intercept them on their way north? And how do you stop the transfer of deadly weapons to the south? And human lives – people around the entire world are on the move, and where do many land? …

April 4, 2024

Will Biden Listen to His Base?

Many diplomats urge what the vast majority of voters, including American Jews, want – a restrained Israel and a place for Palestinians. Former Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz discusses the letter that he and 67 senior foreign policy professionals recently sent to the White House. Now in the aftermath of the killing of the World Central Kitchen volunteers, will Biden get tough or will the tail continue to wag the dog?

January 10, 2024

It Wasn’t All Bad, Was It?

Pete and Laura close the year with reflections on the diplomatic successes in 2023 that helped create a more peaceful and sustainable world. Global events have offered up a lot to fear recently, but it wasn’t all bad! Happy New Year from American Diplomat.

January 10, 2024

Cybercrime: Everybody’s a Target

Cybercrime has many names but what, actually, is it? Jim Lewis, former Foreign Service Officer, now Senior Vice President and Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gives us a candid description of cybercrime’s mechanics: who does it, why, how, and what is the impact of these activities on global democracy and security? What is the role of diplomacy in managing these unprecedented military, intelligence, economic and political threats? Join us for an close look under the hood of cybercrime.

November 2, 2023

What's Your Exit Strategy?

Admiral Mike LeFever and Roderick Jones's new book End Game First talks about collaborating with diplomats to rebuild Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. Effective strategy means having a vision for a successful end result, no matter the crisis. What, for example, is Israel's exit plan in Gaza? We are in a geopolitical...

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The Podcast Team

Ambassador and Co-Host

Amb. Pete Romero had a twenty-five year career as a diplomat in the US Foreign Service. In his last three postings, he was head of our embassy in El Salvador, US Ambassador in Quito, Ecuador and Assistant Secretary of the Western Hemisphere Bureau at the US Department of State.

Producer and Co-Host

Laura Bennett has written, directed, produced and edited short films that have won 11 awards and screened at 35 festivals throughout the United States. Laura speaks Spanish, French and English and has traveled in five continents, often solo and working as a volunteer.

Sound Engineer

Lorenzo Wilkins heads SD33/Art Direction and Design, focusing on identity, publication and marketing design. His client list includes the former UPN television, Fox television, PBS, Spike Lee's 40 Acres & a Mule, the NAACP, the National Society of Black Engineers, Jane Firor & Associates, City First Bank of DC, the Education Trust and several political campaigns.

Learn more

Read Pete’s paper “Living Up to the American Idea,” published in the Foreign Service Journal’s September 2020 issue.
Pete testifies before Congress on the need for diversity in the Foreign Service. To read Pete’s full testimony, click here.
U.S. Ambassador (Ret.) Peter Romero speaks during Saturday’s “Foreign Service Day” at George Mason University.
Roles of Chief Diplomats
U.S. Diplomats Talk Brazilian Politics at Ford School
Peter Romero’s article “The Making Of Plan Colombia” as featured in the Jan/Feb 2018 Issue of “The Foreign Service Journal”
“The Hill: Here’s our plan to bring diversity and fairness to the Foreign Service” Co-authored by Peter Romero.
A good brief summary of the life of a US Foreign Service family.

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