Battlegrounds With H.R. McMaster: International Perspectives

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Hoover Institution, Stanford University In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster speaks to Battlegrounds guest and former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Oleksiy Honcharuk, who is in Ukraine now, fighting for the freedom of his country alongside fellow Ukrainians as they confront a continued assault by the Russian military and the indiscriminate bombardment of Ukrainian cities.  H.R. McMaster in conversation with Oleksiy Honcharuk on Thursday, March 10, 2022.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and General Rajmund Andrzejczak discuss the US-Poland relationship and security  challenges including increasing Russian aggression in Europe, energy security, and transnational terrorism.  H.R. McMaster in conversation with General Rajmund Andrzejczak on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 9:00am PT Battlegrounds provides a needed forum with leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy. Each episode features H.R. McMaster in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.” ABOUT THE SPEAKERS General Rajmund Andrzejczak is Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces. General Andrzejczak has served in the Polish military for over three decades and was nominated to the rank of General in 2019. He is the recipient of the Order of the Second Class Military Cross - Commander's Cross, Star of Iraq and Star of Afghanistan. He is a graduate of the Military Academy of the Armored Forces in Poznań, the Defense Academy of the Czech Army, the National Defense Academy in Warsaw and the Royal College of Defense Studies in London. H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute.  He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.  He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.

Wednesday, January 12, 2022 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib discuss the causes of the collapse in Afghanistan, the consequences, and options to mitigate the growing crisis. H.R. McMaster in conversation with Ambassador Hamdullah Mohib on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 9:00am PT. Battlegrounds provides a needed forum with leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy. Each episode features H.R. McMaster in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”

In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Ambassador Joe Hockey discuss economic recovery from the pandemic, trade, the interconnected challenges of energy security and climate change, and the need to compete in the face of a coercive Chinese Communist Party. H.R. McMaster in conversation with Ambassador Joe Hockey on Wednesday, December 1 at 9:00am PT.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and former Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk discuss the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, the Russian threat to security, and priorities for reform and strengthening governance in Ukraine. H.R. McMaster in conversation with Oleksiy Honcharuk on Wednesday, November 17 at 9:00am PT. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Oleksiy Honcharuk was Ukraine’s 17th Prime Minister (August 2019 – March 2020). He also served as a Deputy Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, member of the National Reforms Council, and as an external advisor to the First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine. Prime Minister Honcharuk also headed Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) a non-governmental organization. Previously he worked in law where he was as an arbitration manager and managing partner at Constructive Lawyers, a law firm he had founded and a lawyer at PRIOR-Invest investment company. H. R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and the Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute.  He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.  He was the 26th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. Battlegrounds provides a needed forum with leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security strategy. Each episode features H.R. McMaster in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”

Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Hoover Institution, Stanford University   In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Brigadier General Meir Finkel of the Israeli Defense Force discuss Finkel’s latest book, Studies in Generalship: Lessons from the Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and how to evaluate the effectiveness of military leaders.

H.R. McMaster in conversation with Ambassador Husain Haqqani, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director for South and Central Asia, on October 6, at 9:15AM PT discussing Pakistani foreign policy, jihadist terrorism, and the future of South Asia in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

H.R. McMaster in conversation with Yalda Hakim, BBC World News presenter and correspondent on Thursday, September 9 at 9:00AM PT discussing her new film "Return of the Taliban," which explores the Taliban of today, what they stand for and what is at stake in the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. ABOUT RETURN OF THE TALIBAN In Return of the Taliban, which was filmed during the weeks before the Taliban took power, Afghan-born, Australian reporter Yalda Hakim traveled to Afghanistan and secured access to two Taliban leaders and key people in Kabul about the country’s future. In the country of her birth, Yalda talks extensively to a Taliban commander from the front line, as well as to the leadership in Doha. They claim they have changed and have regrets about their actions in the past, but who are the Taliban in 2021 and are they planning a return to the brutal regime of the 90s? And she meets with the then Vice President Amrullah Saleh who is adamant he would never surrender to the Taliban. Yalda asks what is at stake for the Afghans who are now in their first weeks under Taliban rule. To watch Return of the Taliban, click here. Password: 0urw0rld!

In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Peter Bergen discuss the history and evolution of jihadist terrorist groups, their objectives, and the implications for international security. H.R. McMaster in conversation with Peter Bergen on Tuesday, September 7 at 9:00am PT.

In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and General John Abizaid discuss the evolution of the Long War against jihadist terrorist organizations, what is at stake across the greater Middle East, and what we might learn from our experience since 9-11. H.R. McMaster in conversation with General John Abizaid on Thursday, August 26 at 9:00am PT.