Right before I started reading H.R. McMaster’s new book, Battleground, I got a phone call that left me speechless with my hair on fire🤯 . . . and I don’t have any hair to spare!!! Someone I’ve known since high school told me that the Board of Ed has decided to drop history from the core curriculum–it will only be an elective. I’ve paid attention to that school over the years, and it’s been one of the three best schools in the state. Have they lost their minds? I took a quick survey of other school districts, and was . . . let’s just say not a happy camper . . . to see that it’s happened is some other schools.😱 Now, I’m a great proponent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Most of my family is involved in those areas–I’m the outlier. But even they are grudgingly glad that they learned some history. As a cousin (another science-type) recently said to me, if we don’t know where we came from–the good, bad and ugly–we won’t know where to go from here. So, to calm myself down a bit, I picked up McMaster’s book, and as I turned the pages, I found an interesting sub-text about history, in addition to his commentary.

So who is Herbert Raymond McMaster, and why did he write this book? McMaster was born in Philadelphia in 1962, and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1984. He later earned a Ph.D. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he wrote his dissertation on the Vietnam War. He later turned it into an important book, Dereliction of Duty. During the 1991 Gulf War he was a captain commanding Eagle Troop of the 2d Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of 73 Easting. He later taught Military History at West Point, and held a number of positions in US Central Command. In 2004 McMaster served as commander of the 3d Cavalry Regiment and fought the Iraqi insurrection at Tal Afar. By 2012 he was Deputy Commanding General of Army Training and Doctrine Command. He was surprised when, in February 2017, he was offered the job as National Security Adviser to the President, which he held until April 2018.

Many people looked forward to McMaster’s book, hoping to read about his relations with President Trump. They were disappointed. After his time as National Security Adviser, McMaster preferred to write about current geopolitical issues. He has an interesting perspective–actually an historical perspective. (And there’s the sub-text. He believes that an understanding of history is key to how we can, and should, deal with other nations.) He’s not an isolationist. Nor does he believe that the US must atone for all the sins ever done throughout the world. He is much more of a realist who uses diplomatic and military history, current geopolitical events, personal discussions and intel to put together solid options for an administration.

He frequently suggests that American “strategic narcissism” is a serious issue and has been for many years. Hans Morgenthau originally came up with that term explaining that it is a way of “viewing the world only in relations to the US.” McMaster suggests that both Democratic and Republican administrations have the same problem, and perhaps we need to make a subtle, but difficult shift to “strategic empathy.” Using his personal experiences, and his serious understanding of history, he discusses significant issues with China, Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq. He clearly and concisely explains what we did wrong, and then makes some suggestions of ways to move forward, including, in some cases, working in conjunction with our allies.

This was an outstanding book on many levels, and I had some solid discussions about it with several colleagues. Not only did we talk about McMaster’s perspectives, but it was so obvious to us that there is a very sensible reason to keep teaching history. It’s actually useful. It can show you what didn’t work, and what did work. Nice not to make the same mistakes over and over isn’t it? You don’t need to believe me or my colleagues, we’re historians. We’re biased. Ask someone like McMasters.

Link for more information on this book. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/battlegrounds-h-r-mcmaster