- International Affairs
- Security & Defense
- US Foreign Policy
- Key Countries / Regions
- Military
- History
- Democracy
- Determining America's Role in the World
- Revitalizing History
Join Kai Sauer, ambassador of Finland to Germany, and Hoover senior fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss Finland's defense and economic priorities, its role in NATO, Russia's persistent threat to European security, and how US-Finland cooperation enhances both nations’ security and prosperity.
Sauer and McMaster reflect on the importance of transatlantic cooperation amid growing geopolitical competition, examining the strategic significance of Arctic security and the lessons other nations can draw from Finland’s defense preparedness in the face of Russian aggression. The conversation also explores the future of NATO burden-sharing, the challenge of countering authoritarian influence in the Global South, the economic and strategic measures needed to impose costs on the Kremlin, and Finland’s role in advancing innovation in AI and emerging technologies.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Kai Sauer has served as Finland's ambassador to Germany since September 2023. Ambassador Sauer served as ambassador to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and ASEAN from 2010 to 2014, and as Finland's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2014 to 2019. He then served as under-secretary of state for foreign and security policy, where he helped guide Finland's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its decision to apply for NATO membership.
H.R. McMaster is the host of Today's Battlegrounds. He 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.
ABOUT THE SERIES
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.”
