Episodes

Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and David Schwendiman discuss the evolution of human rights law, international criminal justice, investigations and prosecutions, and its implications for prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine.
H.R. McMaster in conversation with David Schwendiman on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 9:00am PT.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
David Schwendiman served for over twenty-five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Utah. He was the Chief Prosecutor of the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague from 2016 to 2018 and previously oversaw investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo in 1998, 1999 and 2000 as the Lead Prosecutor of the EU’s Special Investigative Task Force (SITF). Schwendiman investigated and prosecuted atrocities committed during the war in the Former Yugoslavia as an international prosecutor in the Special Department for War Crimes of the State Prosecutor’s Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also served as the U.S. Justice Attaché in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2010 through 2013 and spent 2014 as the Assistant Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and Director of Forward Operations for SIGAR. He is now an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.
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 May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan discuss Jordan-US relations; Jordan’s perspective on the most significant challenges in the Middle East; and opportunities for multi-lateral cooperation to improve security and prosperity in the region.
H.R. McMaster in conversation with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 9:00am PT.

Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and European Parliament Secretary-General Klaus Welle discuss European Parliament’s priorities including the EU response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian and security crisis.
H.R. McMaster in conversation with Klaus Welle on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 9:00am PT.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Klaus Welle is a German politician who has served as Secretary General of the European Parliament since March 2009. He was previously Head of the Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament in Brussels and from 2004 to 2007 the Director-General for Internal Policies at the European Parliament in Brussels. At the age of 30, Welle served as the Secretary-General of the European People's Party (EPP) and the European Union of Christian Democrats (EUCD) and then from 1999 to 2003 was Secretary-General of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Witten/Herdecke.
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 Mar 30, 2022
Wednesday Mar 30, 2022
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Vladimir Milov discuss the Russian opposition, the internal and external threats to Putin’s grip on power, and the impacts of Russia’s aggression on the world.
H.R. McMaster in conversation with Vladimir Milov on Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 9:00am PT.

Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Leopoldo López discuss the ongoing crisis in Venezuela and the prospects for restoration of democratic governance under the Constitution and recovery from economic collapse.
H.R. McMaster in conversation with Leopoldo López on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 9:00am PT.

Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
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 Feb 02, 2022
Battlegrounds w/ H.R. McMaster: Poland: On the Front Line Of European Security
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
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 Jan 12, 2022
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
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.”

Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
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 Nov 17, 2021
Battlegrounds w/ H.R. McMaster: Ukraine: Perspectives On Democracy In Eastern Europe
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
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.”

