Assessing America’s National Security Threats

By: H. R. McMaster, The Great Courses

Narrated 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

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More beneficial than any class

As a person who studies National Security, this has been more than beneficial than one whole semester of a class.

Salient points

Strategic thinking and thought provoking. Well thought out and balanced covering key subjects for 2024. Dr. Xavier Stewart, Brigadier General Ret

Good Points But…

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.

McMaster’s eloquence

He provides clear examples of strategic narcissism and strategic empathy. He’s easy to listen to and his evidence for nations’ blunders are helpful.

Very nice course

I am a huge fan of HR and feel lucky to be able to listen to his thoughts on international and war type issues. He also has a billion youtube videos out with the hoover institution

Still applicable but time seems to speed up ! ? !

Great summary of international pressure points, even hotter now, that must be addressed with dedicated urgency, teamwork, immagination, and some common sense. McMaster hits on importance of education for making strategy but only briefly. (You gotta know the enemy inside-out to fight effectively. That is, to win. In other words, our representative leadership must learn to efficiently clear obstacles from the path (like bipartisan bickering) so one may truely focus and study priority targets so as to developers a good set of effective plans - strategy defined - to carry through expected unknowns, to follow through smartly, utilizing all resources especially those created on the fly as needed to achieve some success. McMaster touched on all this in a more diplomatic way. I'm gonna go out on a limb and state the following: China is the enemy. The sooner we accept reality of that fact the sooner we can start playing catchup on developing that STRATEGY required to win the coming conflict. And there are lots of prerequisites.
Another great, great book by H.R. McMaster. Highly recommend for all.

Know your enemy and his motivations

Every American should listen to this series of lectures. McMaster is correct in saying the US often fails to account for an enemy’s motivations when developing national security policies. Only a fool fails to learn all he can about his opponent, but too often American hubris thinks we can control the outcome. The enemy always has a vote.

We cannot afford to withdraw from the world stage and develop isolationist policies. They won’t work anymore than in the 20th century. Each year the reach of friends and enemies gets longer and faster. Isolation would be putting our heads in the sand assuming others will leave us alone. Instead they will bypass us.

One reviewer claims this lecture has a short shelf life. The specific threats will change, but the lessons the lector tried to teach should be applied in developing future strategies.

Blatant Propaganda

This is just concentrated neocon propaganda that contradicts itself endlessly. He talks about strategic empathy endlessly while having zero ability to reflect on why our enemies are pissed at us. also hilarious to hear him rip Putin for meddling in elections while proudly talking about US backed color revolutions. This is only useful as a tool to know what neocon talking points are. Do not listen to this if you want a complete or honest understanding of what's actually going on.

It''s okay

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.

Not a great one…

I agree with HRMs ideas, but I don’t get these courses to listen to policymakers tell their stories and advocate for their policies. I get them to listen to good academics teach theory and measured, dispassionate analysis of findings. And this class will have a shelf life of only a few years; it’s a snapshot of security issues at the end of the Trump admin, and will be nothing more that a historical curiosity in 5-10 years.