Battlegrounds w/ H.R. McMaster | Croatia: Opportunities And Obstacles To Peace And Economic Growth

H.R. McMaster in conversation with Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, First female President of the Republic of Croatia (2015- 2020), on Wednesday, February 17 at 11:00am PT.

In this ninth episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović discuss education reform, peacebuilding in South East Europe, and strategies to achieve energy security and combat cyber-enabled information warfare.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is the 4th and 1st female President of the Republic of Croatia (2015- 2020). She was the first female Assistant Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as Croatia’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United States of America. She also pursued an academic career in government, international relations and security studies at the Vienna Diplomatic Academy, George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Zagreb. She is a recipient of the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Award.

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 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.

ABOUT THE SERIES

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.”

[kingcrazymani]

Thanks to both of you for this interview. I am reminded of the “Game of Placeholders”, a concept that others in my groups have studied extensively, but I have yet to overview. Fortunately, the former President has a name which comes easily to me for reasons she may some day find very funny. I am a native of Boston, and lived in the South End for 9 years. In our research, one of the key events was called “The Graybar Incident.” Hilarious but undiscussable in a forum such as this. Something only a soldier or cop could really find funny. NATO issues loom as large as EU issues. My views are well known. I noted the President’s K-School background, and could have sworn the President said “Widener” instead of “wider”. I spent hours over a few years sitting at the Interfaith Chapel across from Widener waiting for my office hours in the Yard to get utilized. Nobody showed. Not a real surprise . The President and I spent too much time in the Yard, I guess. A half hour for me should have been plenty.... FYI, the park at the river didn’t work, and the park on JFK didn’t work either. They all knew everything already, apparently.

[minabrite]

Rush Limbaugh was the person changed me from an ignorant Democrat to a patriot American then a MAGA. Thanks a million, the Great One.

[zombiespqr]

While I voted for her and I think she was ok president of Croatia, her views on u.s.a. are that of a npc eurobureaucrat. She was shocked by capitol hill riots but not by months and months of BLM riots. VP Kamala Harris openly endorsed those riots and protestors. Croatia is a stable country because Croats are ethnic majority (90%) in Croatia and majority of Croatians are Catholic (~89%). U.S.A. is extremely multiethnic and multireligious. Three things are holding u.s.a. together: civic nationalism, common culture and economic prosperity. Only economic prosperity is riding high of the three. To me u.s.a. looks very much like former yugoslavia.

[judgeall]

I would have loved to have heard the fine Lady’’s opine on the completion of the German/Russian oil pipeline! It’s their mobster government lifeline.

[arleatham]

Can we get some more Thomas Sowell and less HR McMaster?

[joycealice]

*No 1: Don't Only Hope On Government For Income, *

*No 2: As An Individual Look For Different Self Income Not Only Waiting on Monthly Wages, *

*No 3: Always Save The Little You Can And Think Of What To Do With It When It Become Good For Capital.*

*It's 100% Good To Have Different Ways To Gain Income*

*Because Government have failed us so therefore let's try and survive*

[PP]

After Tudjman, the best president we had.

[streetsideproductionsill]

This Lady should really sit down and talk to OUR current President--I mean, youve got my attention-but that guys really causing some major problem between the people....Id vote for ya mam

[donnamarsh]

Listening to one another...tell that to the media.

[tommatokovic]

10% of the population left Croatia since we joined the EU. EU is getting cheap labor from Croatia and most of the money the EU provides goes to programs of energy efficiency such as heat insulation of public buildings and such. The economy is dying as we speak. Croatia is second to last in Europe by standard of living.

[tommatokovic]

Kolinda also published a photo recently on her Facebook account giving a middle finger to her critics. Look it up please.

[tommatokovic]

I wish that HR McMaster was able to witness her campaign in Croatia. She is considered to be a complete joke in Croatia.

[esterhudson]

Hang on a second, the intro...no Catholics were murdered.? C’mon...

[Muadib]

With no doubt we can say that Croatia is a failed state. So sad. Country with so much potential