Assessing America’s National Security Threats

by H.R. McMaster

The United States faces significant dangers and opportunities in the coming century. Malicious actors have harnessed new technologies such as drones, missiles, and offensive cyber weapons to threaten and, in some cases, attack America and its allies. Jihadist terrorist organizations are pursuing more destructive capabilities and are growing in strength as the United States disengages from protracted counterterrorism operations abroad. Since the end of the Cold War, US foreign policy and national security strategy have suffered from strategic narcissism—the tendency to define complex challenges and opportunities abroad only in relation to the United States—and to underappreciate the interests, emotions, and aspirations that drive and constrain rivals, adversaries, and enemies.

Former US National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster designed and delivered the 12 lectures of Assessing America’s National Security Threats. A retired US Army lieutenant general; military historian; and expert in international relations, international security, and diplomacy H. R. McMaster packed this course with compelling histories, striking firsthand accounts, and contemporary case studies. Together, you will examine the risk of nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula. You will investigate the threats in new security domains like space and cyberspace and discover how hostile actors like Russia and China operate within them. You will explore how Afghanistan and Pakistan sit at a global epicenter of jihadist terrorism. You will dive into the ideologies that drive Iran’s theocratic dictatorship and its aggression towards the United States, Israel, and its Arab neighbors. And so much more. Ultimately, this course is designed to help restore strategic competence through the study of history, deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities we face, and emphasize the policies and strategies needed to secure a peaceful and prosperous future.

Genres: Audiobook, History, Politics

Audible Audio

First published January 6, 2023

About the author

Herbert Raymond McMaster (born July 24, 1962) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 25th United States National Security Advisor from 2017 to 2018. He is also known for his roles in the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In February 2017, McMaster succeeded Michael Flynn as President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor. He remained on active duty as a lieutenant general while serving as National Security Advisor, and retired in May 2018. McMaster resigned as National Security Advisor on March 22, 2018, effective April 9,and accepted an academic appointment to Stanford University in 2018.

McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Reviews

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Assessing America's National Security Threats by H.R. McMaster is a capable survey. It has one purpose: teach the basics to people who likely know very little beyond what they've read in headline news. It does that relatively well. It could have benefited from a longer treatment by McMaster. I think at one point this was meant to be even shorter, as Afghanistan and Iraq are short enough that, even when combined, would only be about a half an hour. The length necessarily means that people will not be exposed to too much nuance or subtle argumentation. Most of the content in this series will be standard for defense policy research. There are only a handful of instances where you would even be reminded of his conservative bona fides. Indeed, in the penultimate lecture he goes out of his way to mention several topics of concern to more moderate and liberal approaches to foreign policy. Only his last lecture contains a strong, overt defense of interventionism abroad similar to neoconservative advocates, before pivoting to more general and noncontroversial details regarding his personal research, experience, and major takeaways for good national security policy.

[Michael Cohen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: Haven't finished yet but feel comfortable writing this review.

Considering the name of the Lecturer, it's somewhat shocking that this series is so pedestrian.

Really? Iran is an enemy of the US? North Korea mistreats its people? China has unfair labor practices? You are blowing my mind, McMaster.

I wasn't exactly expecting in-depth, national-secret-exposing knowledge tidbits. But at least, I was hoping for something I couldn't get from generally reading a WSJ op-ed on the regular.

Which isn't to say that McMaster has a conservative bent (not to say he doesn't either). Just that his views are extremely mainstream and non-controversally neoliberal or, at least, mainstream before the rise of Trump. "Our actions in the Middle East have been terrible but we must stay." "Obama made a mistake by trusting Iran."

This is fine as a primer course for people who have almost no understanding of America's foreign/domestic policy history.

But it'll be a pass for others.

[Scott Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (2.5 stars) That this series got McMaster to do this will no doubt draw in many listeners and generate some interest. Yet, what comes out of this is not exactly that new or revelatory. Interesting to know that he didn't by the Thucydides Trap that many of his peers did in Washington, but otherwise, there is not that much new here. Also, the obligatory self-serving nature of the work, to try to justify his position, taking ample pot-shots at Obama while generally laying off Trump, except when he had to, as if he is still playing to the once (and maybe future) president).

Perhaps for the novice for the US National Security situation, but for those who follow even the international news, maybe nothing you didn't already know or follow. Stick to his Dereliction of Duty. Better overall quality

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great points and with his background some salient topics for discussion. A couple of issues with this are that it’s extremely biased. When something works in your favor it’s for the good of the country but when that same something works against you, it’s bad for the country…. It was always bad, it just helped you achieve your end state in one case and almost took you down in another… Also, history is not always a good guide as to why something happened, even recent history. That is because history is written and rewritten ad infjnitum (ad nauseam?) by the “winner” or the dictator/autocrat as he points out with N Korea. Therefore, unless there’s a common understanding about facts, there’s no agreement… on what means leads to what ends.

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was literally not a single topic discussed that I did not already know about. Perhaps I've already heard enough from McMaster to know everything he has to say because he was such a public figure. More likely I just stayed up to date really well with current events. I feel like this relatively new information would be better saved for a future generation. It's too recent and all the talking points are too well known to be of any value to anybody in 2024.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good summary of the security challenges facing the US up to around 2018-2020, by a former senior security advisor to Trump during his first administration. Relatively impartial and unbiased presentation of the issues, although there was a bit of neoliberal/neoconservative establishment in which things were presented. Overall both good as a (basic) summary of the US situation, and a view into the mind of someone senior in the US security establishment.

[Emma Pontzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is for sure some level of bias. There is a high focus on communism and the Middle East. Those are major topics so it makes sense. I like that the impacts of Chinese companies that are traded on the stock market and the impacts that they have. Money has tentacles. I like that the civil war the impacts of United States slavery are touched.

[Enrico · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few lectures were pretty good, because they were about specific countries and told the stories of how it ended up in the situation we're in today. The second half of the course was about more generic topics that quickly devolved into standard talking points you've heard a million times.

[Balazs · Rating 2 out of 5]

A shallow op-ed for the American internationalist conservative view of the contemporary world.

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insights but somewhat dated.