American Diplomat Podcast

Real U.S. diplomats share the untold truths behind world events—what went right, what went wrong, and what you’ll never see in the news.

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

And neither is worldwide democracy, thanks in part to the very fine-tipped pen and tiny notebook of Ambassador William Taylor, a key source in the Congressional investigations into the Ukraine corruption affair of the last year.  Democracy lives another day!
Need a mood lifter?  We do!  Laura likes our music selects so much that she's listening to this one twice!  Go back to simpler times (say, 2019) with AmDip, then sing along to our Covid-era theme song.  Love, Pete and Laura
Ambassador Whitaker tells the story of how the Colombian government fooled the guerrillas into releasing long-held hostages... an operation that would make Hollywood proud. 
Desiree Cormier, one of our favorite guests, is back to share stories learned of her grandfather's life since his recent passing.  We hear not only how he shaped Desiree's life of public service, but also how his very personal commitment to the American anti-apartheid movement and the Black Lives Matter chapter in Los...
Who really holds the Foreign Service together?  Spouses, who raise children and start their lives again and again every couple of years in support of their partners' career.  Miriam Gutierrez is perhaps the loveliest of them all.  Here's her story.
Were the recent explosions in Beirut the last straw, the end of the corrupt political elites, or a new opportunity for militant political party Hezbollah? Ambassador Patrick Theros parses beautiful Lebanon, once heralded as the Paris of the Middle East, now on fire.
Is Trump's forced sale of TikTok to an American company another China-bashing "Kung Flu" episode, or does the tech giant pose a genuine national security threat?  Nova Daly, former chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, breaks down the complexity of this deal.
Trade!  Similar attitudes about trade protections.  Is a free trade agreement a free-for-all or a deal to optimize countries' competitive advantage?  (Hint: Remember Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations?  Or did you snooze during that segment of 11th grade?)  Controversy aside, Tony Wayne and Shaun Donnelly break down the...

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.

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