Today’s Battlegrounds

In this episode of Today's Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Minister Bohlin discuss Sweden's approach to civil defense, Nordic-Baltic security cooperation, and how Sweden is strengthening NATO to improve deterrence in the High North. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Carl-Oskar Bohlin has served as Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence since 2022. Bohlin has been a member of Sweden’s Parliament, the Riksdag, since 2010 and completed law courses at Uppsala University. As Minister for Civil Defence, he plays a central role in strengthening Sweden's resilience against both natural and man-made threats, and holds the distinction of being Sweden's first Minister for Civil Defence since 1947—reflecting the country's renewed and urgent emphasis on comprehensive national security. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

In this episode of Today's Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Haider al-Abadi discuss the future of US–Iraq relations as the new Prime Minister al-Zaidi and his government endeavor to strengthen Iraqi sovereignty, fight corruption, improve security, recover from a regional war, and diversify its economy. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Dr. Haider al-Abadi is the former Prime Minister of Iraq. Born in Baghdad in 1952, he earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester and spent twenty-seven years in exile in the United Kingdom, during which Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime executed two of his brothers. He led the Dawa Party’s opposition from abroad and returned to Iraq in 2003, serving as minister of communications and first deputy speaker of parliament. As prime minister from 2014 to 2018, he served as commander-in-chief during the campaign that defeated ISIS, also known as Daesh, and restored Iraqi sovereignty over the territory the group had seized. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

In this episode of Today's Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Radosław Sikorski discuss the future of NATO deterrence on the alliance’s eastern flank, the U.S.–Poland strategic partnership’s role in securing Europe, and what a successful outcome in Ukraine would mean for European security and the defense of democratic nations. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Radosław Sikorski is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland. Minister Sikorski earlier served as Speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, from 2014 to 2015, as Foreign Minister from 2007 to 2014, and as Minister of Defence from 2005 to 2007. As Foreign Minister, he launched the European Union’s Eastern Partnership and led the EU mission to Kyiv that negotiated an end to violence during the Maidan protests. Before entering politics, he reported as a war correspondent from Afghanistan and Angola, studied at Oxford, and held fellowships at the American Enterprise Institute and Harvard. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

Join Dr. Ali Ansari, Professor of Iranian History and Founding Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they examine the nature of the Islamic Republic, Western misunderstandings about the regime and why engagement strategies have repeatedly failed, and the widening gap between the regime’s propagandized image of strength and the vulnerabilities revealed in recent conflicts. Drawing on recent events, including the 12-day Israeli campaign exposing profound intelligence and air-defense failures, Ansari examines the IRGC’s struggles to reconstitute its terrorist and militia proxies in the region while confronting severe financial and economic crises at home, including shortages of electricity and a growing water crisis in the capital city of Tehran. Despite these mounting pressures, Ansari reflects on Iran’s potential futures, from the emergence of new leadership to the enduring resilience of the Iranian people. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ali Ansari is a Professor of Iranian History, the Founding Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews, and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. As a leading historian of modern Iran, Dr. Ansari combines archival research with a deep understanding of Iranian political culture and nationalism. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and President of the British Institute of Persian Studies. His books include Modern Iran since 1797 and Confronting Iran. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

Join Justin Bassi, Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and former National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss threats to international security, Australia’s role in the Indo-Pacific, and opportunities for Canberra and Washington to work together to promote peace and prosperity. Viewing China’s military and technological rise as Australia’s top security threat, Bassi discusses the ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party leaders and how Australia and its allies can compete more effectively to counter CCP aggression and prevent a war with China. The US and Australia sharing a deep history since World War I, Bassi reflects on how more recent internal debates are playing out within Australia regarding Trump administration policies, how we can promote a positive agenda to advance our mutual interests, and his views on the future of AUKUS – the alliance between Australia, the US and the UK to strengthen defense and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Justin Bassi is the Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. From 2015 to 2018, Bassi served as National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, where he was responsible for security policy and operations, including counter terrorism, foreign interference, and cyberspace. He then served as the Cyber Intelligence Mission Manager at the Office of National Intelligence, and later as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne. Prior to this role, Bassi served as National Security Adviser to the Attorney-General. He spent over a decade in the Australian Public Service, including in the intelligence community and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

Join Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Iceland’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the evolving U.S.-Iceland relationship, Icelandic-European relations, and the continued security challenges of the Arctic. Appointed as the Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine, Gylfadóttir provides an insight into her vital role in raising awareness of the challenges facing the children of Ukraine, the driving forces behind Putin’s behavior, and why sustained support for Ukraine from Europe and the US is critical. Iceland a founding member of NATO, Gylfadóttir discusses the importance of NATO to transatlantic security from an Icelandic perspective, the importance of the transatlantic relationship in the fight against Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, as well as current priorities for the US-Iceland relationship and why Americans should experience a visit to the country of Iceland. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir is the Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine. Gylfadóttir previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2023 and once more in 2024, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs from November 2023 to April 2024, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation from 2017 to 2021. She was the youngest woman to serve as a minister. Since 2016, Gylfadóttir has represented the Independence Party in Iceland’s parliament, the Althing, and was appointed vice-chairman of the party in 2018. She holds a master’s degree in law from Reykjavik University. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.

Join former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, David Vigneault, and Hoover Senior Fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the Canadian federal election results, trade, and the potential for a common agenda for the future of the US-Canada alliance. Reflecting on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s victory in the Canadian federal election in April 2025 and President Trump’s recent controversial comments on Canada as the ‘51st state’, Vigneault provides his thoughts on the importance of the US-Canada relationship and outlines a positive agenda of cooperation between both countries in areas including North American defense, intelligence cooperation, missile defense, supply chain resilience and energy security. Vigneault discusses Canada’s relationship with Mexico, the dangers associated with conflicts in South Asia, including the current conflict between Pakistan and India, and how best to secure critical infrastructure, sensitive technologies, and intellectual property from hostile countries such as China. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS David Vigneault is the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, also known as CSIS. Under his leadership, CSIS elevated awareness of vulnerabilities in sectors critical to Canadian innovation and sovereignty—ranging from biopharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence to aerospace and quantum computing. Prior to CSIS, Vigneault served as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Security and Intelligence in the Privy Council Office. He also held roles in the Canada Border Services Agency, the Communications Security Establishment, and the Department of National Defence. In August 2024, Vigneault joined Strider Technologies—a U.S.-based strategic intelligence firm—where he guides security strategy across public and private sector domains. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. 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 25th 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.