In Episode 14 of The Ben Franklin Fellowship's JUNTO Podcast, BFF Co-Founder and Chairman Phillip Linderman sits down with Ambassador J. Peter Pham for an in-depth discussion on Africa, China, critical minerals, the Sahel, great power competition, and the future of America First foreign policy.

As global competition intensifies, Africa has become a strategic battleground for influence, resources, security partnerships, and economic development. Ambassador Pham shares his unique perspective on China's growing presence across the continent, the collapse of Western influence in parts of the Sahel, and how previous U.S. policies contributed to instability and the effective "loss" of key Sahel states.

The conversation also examines the impact of ideological foreign policy priorities on America's relationships with African governments, including efforts by previous administrations to pressure African leaders to adopt policy positions that remain highly contested even within the United States itself. Ambassador Pham argues that these approaches often distracted from core strategic interests and weakened America's standing with key regional partners.

Topics discussed include:

• The growing geopolitical importance of Africa • China's expanding influence across the continent • Critical minerals, supply chains, and economic security • Strategic competition between the United States and China • The collapse of Western influence in the Sahel • How previous U.S. policies contributed to instability and the loss of key Sahel states • The impact of ideological and "woke" foreign policy priorities on U.S.-Africa relations • Governance, security, terrorism, and regional conflict • America First diplomacy and strategic realism • The future of U.S.-Africa relations in a changing world order

The JUNTO Podcast is produced by The Ben Franklin Fellowship — Diplomacy Rooted in the Republic. In Service to America.

The JUNTO Podcast is produced by The Ben Franklin Fellowship.

Learn more: https://www.benfranklinfellowship.org

In this episode of The Ben Franklin Fellowship’s JUNTO Podcast, guest host BFF Vice President John McCally sits down with acclaimed historian, author, and screenwriter Jane Hampton Cook for a wide-ranging discussion on the origins of American diplomacy and the enduring principles that shaped the early Republic.

Drawing on decades of historical research and storytelling, Jane explores Benjamin Franklin’s diplomatic mission to France during the American Revolution, George Washington’s foreign policy vision rooted in realism and national sovereignty, and John Quincy Adams’s leadership during the War of 1812 and Treaty of Ghent negotiations.

Topics discussed include: • Franklin’s strategic diplomacy at the French court • Public image and influence during the American Revolution • Washington’s warnings regarding entangling alliances • John Quincy Adams and the defense of American sovereignty • Lessons modern diplomats can learn from the Founding generation • Patriotism and the meaning of America’s 250th anniversary

Jane Hampton Cook is the author of 20 books and has appeared on Fox News, C-SPAN, the BBC, and major historical documentaries including The American Miracle and The First American.

The JUNTO Podcast is produced by The Ben Franklin Fellowship — Diplomacy Rooted in the Republic. In Service to America.

In Episode 12 of the JUNTO Podcast, Ben Franklin Fellowship Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with Ambassador Alberto Fernandez for a wide-ranging discussion on American diplomacy, the Middle East, counterterrorism, and the future of Western civilization.

Ambassador Fernandez draws on decades of experience in the U.S. Foreign Service, including service as U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Chargé d’Affaires in Sudan, and leadership roles in strategic communications and counterterrorism. A Cuban refugee who grew up in Miami, Fernandez reflects on his path into diplomacy, the importance of America-first realism, and the civilizational foundations of the West.

The conversation explores: • Iran and the long-term U.S. struggle with the Iranian regime • The future of American foreign policy under the Trump administration • Why the Western Hemisphere should become a greater U.S. strategic priority • Reforming the State Department and reducing bureaucratic overreach • Lessons from the war on terror and ideological conflict • Cuba, communism, and the prospects for political change

A thoughtful discussion on realism, diplomacy, national security, and the values shaping America’s role in the world.

BFF Fellow Marcus Thornton joins the Ben Franklin Fellowship Junto Podcast to discuss his experience challenging federal COVID vaccine mandates, the creation of Feds for Freedom, whistleblower protections, and the culture of institutional accountability inside the U.S. State Department.

Marcus Thornton is a career Foreign Service Officer, former Senior Advisor on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, and former Chief of Staff at USAID.

Thornton shares firsthand details about litigation that reached the Supreme Court, allegations of retaliation within the Foreign Service, and proposals for reforming the diplomatic corps and federal hiring systems.

Topics include: • COVID mandate litigation for federal employees • Whistleblower protections and retaliation • Foreign Service culture and institutional reform • State Department accountability • Meritocracy and diplomatic recruitment • Feds for Freedom and civil service reform

Featuring: Phil Linderman and Marcus Thornton

The views expressed are those of the participants and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. government.

In this episode, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with BFF Fellow Jose Cardenas, a Washington, D.C.–based consultant with more than four decades of experience in the U.S. political process and inter-American relations.

Cardenas has held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he served as Acting Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean. He has also testified before both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

This conversation explores:

U.S. policy toward Cuba and Venezuela Strategic challenges in the Western Hemisphere The future of American diplomacy in Latin America Key lessons from decades of foreign policy experience

Subscribe to The Ben Franklin Fellowship YouTube Channel for more JUNTO Podcast episodes, speeches, and expert analysis: https://www.youtube.com/@BenFranklinFellowship

Learn more about The Ben Franklin Fellowship: https://www.benfranklinfellowship.org

The Ben Franklin Fellowship’s JUNTO Podcast features a timely and in-depth conversation with Ambassador Michael Gfoeller — former U.S. Ambassador and senior foreign policy leader—on the future of American diplomacy in an era of renewed great power competition.

Drawing on decades of experience in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Gfoeller offers insight into the strategic challenges facing the United States, the evolving role of diplomacy, and the importance of advancing U.S. interests with clarity and purpose.

The discussion explores the intersection of diplomacy, national security, and economic statecraft, while also reflecting on the institutional strengths—and areas for reform—within the State Department. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, conversations like this underscore the importance of cultivating a new generation of diplomats grounded in experience, seriousness, and a clear understanding of America’s role in the world.

The JUNTO Podcast – Featuring BFF Fellow and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Matt Pierce

In this episode, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with Matt Pierce, BFF Fellow and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs. Matt shares his path to the State Department, his rise through the Consular Affairs bureau, and the challenges and opportunities in today’s passport and visa environment.

Matt offers listeners an inside look at how U.S. passport and visa services operate — at headquarters and at posts around the world — and explains what the public should know about the scale and importance of this mission. He also discusses efforts to modernize the passport process, strengthen security, to route out fraud and address vulnerabilities that foreign actors and criminal networks may seek to exploit.

The conversation highlights how Consular Affairs shapes passport and citizenship policy in support of America’s national interest, and how the bureau works with partners across government on fraud and security cases. Matt concludes with a message to State Department CA colleagues worldwide about professionalism, service, and the future of U.S. diplomacy.

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Co-Founder Phil Linderman hosts a conversation with Robert Destro and Al Gombis, both BFF Fellows and longtime State Department officials, on the state of human rights diplomacy in Washington.

Robert Destro, former Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and Al Gombis, who served as Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, share a candid insider’s perspective on how well-intentioned policies have drifted away from America’s founding ideals.

Together, they discuss why “human rights” must be refocused around freedom of conscience, individual responsibility, and equal justice under law — and how diplomats can rebuild credibility by linking human rights to measurable progress, not political agendas.