Gen. H.R. McMaster is used to dealing with extremely challenging situations, so delivering a lecture to Siena students remotely from his book-lined office at Stanford University was a welcome task to tackle.
Gen. McMaster is a former U.S. national security advisor who served from February 2017 until last spring under President Trump. He was scheduled to come to Siena on April 6 for a public lecture and book signing, but the pandemic shutdown moved the event online for 75 invited guests. His focus: “The U.S. Grand Strategy and the Case for Strategic Empathy.”
He was invited to Siena by Chris Gibson, Ph.D., Siena’s president elect, and the faculty and administrators associated with the College’s Distinguished Visiting Professorship of Public Service Leadership.
Gibson introduced his former combat brother as “a sterling example of public service leadership” and “the most courageous combat commander of his generation.”
Gen. McMaster’s doctorate in American history analyzing the lack of strategic foresight in Vietnam served as the basis for his 1997 best-selling book “Dereliction of Duty.” Already a Gulf War veteran, he and Gibson served together in Tal Afar, Iraq in 2005 to aid that country’s insurgency against terrorists. Following further combat service in Afghanistan and military service at home, he accepted an appointment to the faculty at Stanford after he left the Trump administration.
His newest book, due to be published this month, is “Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World.”
Gen. McMaster noted that he got to know Gibson “in the crucible of the fight against ISIS and Al Qaeda” when they were in Iraq, and he encouraged the students listening in from their homes to consider the many options young people have to serve their country and the world.
“There are tremendous opportunities to serve and to be a part of something bigger than yourselves,” he said. “When we fought against the jihadi terrorists, which are the enemy of all humanity, we were able to lift the pall of fear from the people we were there to protect.”
He said service to others, whether it is in a military, government, religious, or civilian capacity, is about making a real difference in people’s lives and the fulfillment of being part of a team “that is bound together by mutual respect and common purpose.
He notes a shift in the emotional impetus for America’s foreign policy from optimistic to negative. He recalled the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall as a time of joy and celebration.
“It was the victory of democracy over totalitarianism.”
He said a lopsided victory in Desert Storm boosted America’s confidence but led to flawed assumptions in our foreign policy.
“We forgot we have to compete to protect our interest.”
He said war is an extension of politics, with military gains being consolidated to move a country toward its political goals. He has seen a shift to pessimism, with “the Bush administration undervaluing the risk of action, and the Obama administration undervaluing the risks of inaction.
“ISIS didn’t come to exist in a vacuum. This swing from optimism to resignation has diminished our confidence in developing a sustained approach to foreign policy.”
Gen. McMaster was on his way to a think tank meeting in Philadelphia (his hometown) in 2017 when he got a call inviting him to fly to Mar-A-Lago to discuss with the president the position of national security advisor. To prepare for his role, he consulted with several former NSAs, including Henry Kissinger.
“It’s important to understand how to think about complex problem sets related to foreign policy, so you can endeavor to develop an integrated strategy.”
He encouraged American policy to promote the interests of democracy.
“The American people are not behind a sustained approach to foreign policy. We’re becoming more isolationist, viewing that overseas problems are intractable. It’s a form of strategic narcissism – that only what we do is important.”
Gen. McMaster hopes that world leaders will embrace the concept of "strategic empathy," the willingness to view a problem set from the viewpoint of the other.
“That’s very important for engagement, be it political or economic.”
He noted that strategic empathy is akin to the Franciscan value of engaging in constructive dialogue, something Siena students have the opportunity to absorb.
“Siena’s Franciscan mission is ideally suited for preparing political and business leaders who are empathetic, able to ask the right questions, listen to others and have the humility to learn as well as the courage to lead,” he said.
Political science major Jared Page ’21 listened from his home in East Greenwich, R.I.
“The opportunity to hear HR McMaster speak was absolutely worthwhile, as he provided enlightening and engaging insight as to our country's current interests and how the current administration plans to promote and protect them both at home and abroad.”
History major Nicholas Mathews ‘21 (below, left) joined in from Walton, N.Y.
“General McMaster gave an excellent talk to us. While a lot of points he made were important, my favorite of all was when he said, ‘our democracy allows us to self correct.’ I loved this point because it’s a great answer to anyone that doesn't believe the United States is a great country. Yes, we have our mishaps and errors, but what's important is that we as a country can self correct with our government.”
(Below, right - Nicholas Wiesing '20 watching from his deck)
