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Why Do Authoritarian Countries Fear the West?

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Published November 9, 2022

Authoritarians don’t fear the West, they fear losing control of their own people. H. R. McMaster describes his experience working for the White House and how he tried to overcome some of the shortcomings of previous administrations, which he had criticized. McMaster explains how to craft an assumption and discusses why we failed to anticipate Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are there any downsides to having a national strategy? If no, why has there been confusion on strategy in the past?
  2. What do you believe is America’s best course of action for dealing with China?

Additional Resources:

  • Watch “Lithuania: On the Frontline of European Security,” with H. R. McMaster. Available here.
  • Watch “Unsolicited Advice for the Next Congress,” with John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen. Available here.
  • Watch “Embracing Strategic Empathy,” with H. R. McMaster on PolicyEd. Available here.