Keeping It Civil

H.R. McMaster is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served for over thirty years, including as National Security Advisor from 2017 to 2018. Henry and Josh begin their conversation with him by discussing his background, his recent book, “Battlegrounds,” and his argument against what he calls “strategic narcissism” on the part of U.S. military and political leadership. They then discuss some of his experiences in Iraq and his suggested solutions for various twenty-first century challenges. McMaster argues that civic education and a better knowledge of history is essential to rebuilding trust in American civic institutions and restoring the confidence in leadership necessary to implement effective foreign policy with public support. Please note that the conversation occurred in Fall 2021 soon after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.