Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World by H.R. McMaster

Book Summary

Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World is a nonfiction geopolitical and national-security book by H.R. McMaster. The book offers a comprehensive look at critical challenges facing the United States and its allies in the post-Cold War era and argues that American foreign policy has, for decades, lacked consistent strategy and effectiveness.

Key themes include:

• Assessment of foreign policy failures: McMaster examines how U.S. policies across multiple administrations since the end of the Cold War have often been inconsistent or poorly implemented, leading to diminished influence and strategic disadvantage for the U.S. and the “free world.”

• Great power competition: The book analyzes rising challenges from Russia and China, as well as threats from Iran, North Korea, and jihadist terrorism, urging a strategic recalibration.

• Call for strategic competence: McMaster offers a pathway forward, emphasizing the need for better strategic understanding, improved policy, and cooperation among democracies to uphold freedom, security, and prosperity.

• Critique of partisanship: He argues that internal political polarization weakens democratic nations, making them more vulnerable to external threats.

The narrative blends geopolitical analysis with insights drawn from McMaster’s military and government experience, encouraging readers—especially citizens and policymakers—to educate themselves and work together in defense of democratic values.

About the Author: 

H.R. McMaster (Herbert Raymond McMaster) is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former United States National Security Advisor.

• Military career: McMaster served in the U.S. Army for 34 years, including in leadership roles during the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He is recognized as a scholar, strategist, and military historian.

• Academic background: He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Government service: McMaster served as the 26th U.S. National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump. His government experience deeply informs the analysis and recommendations in Battlegrounds.

• Author: Besides Battlegrounds, he authored Dereliction of Duty, a well-known critique of U.S. leadership during the Vietnam War, and has written extensively on military history and national security.