H.R. McMaster, a Fuad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former national security advisor, dives into the urgency of building strategic competence in government and academia. He emphasizes the need for leaders to integrate history into policymaking, warning against oversimplified narratives. The discussion includes the importance of red teaming in strategy evaluation and the complexities of military decision-making, showcasing lessons from past conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a call for continuous education to enhance national security.
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insights INSIGHT
History's Critical Role in Strategy
Neglecting history leads to poor foreign policy and war decisions.
The rise of theory-based courses masks the complexities of real-world challenges and strategic empathy.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Five Lessons From Vietnam
Take time to understand challenges deeply before deciding.
Make explicit assumptions and protect decisions from partisan politics.
insights INSIGHT
Strategy Versus Tactics
Strategy differs from planning by accounting for uncertainty and opposition.
Good strategy allows decentralizing decisions and empowers subordinate leaders.
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In 'The Face of Battle', John Keegan explores the human experience of combat by examining the mechanics and psychology of warfare in three distinct historical periods. The book focuses on the common soldier's perspective, analyzing the physical and mental aspects of battle and challenging traditional myths about warfare. It is a companion volume to Keegan's 'The Mask of Command', together forming a seminal work in military and human history.
Historians' fallacies
Historians' fallacies
David Hackett Fischer
Historians' Fallacies, by David Hackett Fischer, is a comprehensive guide to common errors in historical research and writing. It examines various pitfalls, such as presentism (imposing present-day values onto the past), anachronism (misplacing events in time), and the tendency to oversimplify complex historical processes. The book provides a framework for critical analysis of historical narratives, encouraging readers to evaluate sources and interpretations carefully. Fischer's work is essential for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of historical inquiry and avoid common mistakes. It emphasizes the importance of rigorous methodology and contextual understanding in historical research.
Uncivil society
Stephen Kotkin
In 'Uncivil Society,' Stephen Kotkin and Jan T. Gross explore the sudden collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989. The book examines the political and economic factors that led to this implosion, using case studies from East Germany, Romania, and Poland. It argues that the collapse was primarily due to the bankruptcy of the ruling class, rather than the rise of civil society or organized opposition.
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Sir Michael Howard
War in the Art of Governance
War in the Art of Governance
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Nadia Schadlow
At War with Ourselves
Why America Is Squandering Its Chance to Build a Better World
Michael Hirsh
In this book, Michael Hirsh argues that America, as the world's 'Uberpower,' has a unique opportunity to perpetuate indefinitely the global system it has built and create an international community with American power at its center. Using vignettes and reporting from his coverage of the first two post-Cold War presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Hirsh highlights the risks and responsibilities of being the sole superpower. He emphasizes the need for America to engage with international organizations, particularly the United Nations, to effectively address global challenges and maintain stability. The book also discusses the vulnerabilities of Americans as individuals and the necessity of international cooperation to address these vulnerabilities.
Battlegrounds
The Fight to Defend the Free World
H. R. McMaster
In 'Battlegrounds', H.R. McMaster identifies six significant arenas where the United States must compete: Russia, China, South Asia, the Middle East, Iran, and North Korea. He provides a historical diagnosis of the threats posed by each and proposes a framework for competition. McMaster argues that the U.S. has lost ground globally since the end of the Cold War due to a failure to understand adversaries' motives and interests. The book emphasizes the need for 'strategic empathy' and a clear-eyed approach to national security, critiquing past administrations for their naivety and advocating for a more resolute and coherent foreign policy strategy.
Dangerous Games
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Margaret MacMillan
Dereliction of Duty
Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam
H. R. McMaster
In 'Dereliction of Duty', H.R. McMaster provides a thorough and well-researched account of how and why the United States became involved in the Vietnam War. The book is based on transcripts and personal accounts of crucial meetings and decisions, and it critiques the decision-making processes of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. McMaster argues that the war was lost due to the failures and deceptions of political and military leaders, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who he believes were derelict in their duty to advise the president honestly. The book is a compelling narrative that highlights the hubris, deception, and compromise among the political and military echelons during that period.
The Hoover Institution Center for Revitalizing American Institutions webinar series features speakers who are developing innovative ideas, conducting groundbreaking research, and taking important actions to improve trust and efficacy in American institutions. Speaker expertise and topics span governmental institutions, civic organizations and practice, and the role of public opinion and culture in shaping our democracy. The webinar series builds awareness about how we can individually and collectively revitalize American institutions to ensure our country’s democracy delivers on its promise.
The seventh session discussed Building Strategic Competence: An Urgent Priority for Government and the Academy with H.R. McMaster and Stephen Kotkin on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, from 10:00 - 11:00 am PT.
We might define strategic competence as the ability to integrate all elements of national power and efforts of like-minded partners to advance US interests. The nation needs leaders who can think in real time and understand what it takes to implement ideas and strategies on the ground. The academy has an important role in educating leaders to compete effectively in war and in competitions short of war. A reinvigoration of history in higher-level education is particularly important, as many courses in diplomatic and military history have been displaced by theory-based courses, which tend to mask the complex causality of events and obscure the cultural, psychological, social, and economic elements that distinguish cases from one another. Some theories risk sapping students of strategic empathy and encourage them to reduce complex problem sets into frameworks that create only the illusion of understanding. A growing interest in applied history in some universities is a promising development.
Talks from the Hoover Institution 
