- International Affairs
- Security & Defense
- US Foreign Policy
- Key Countries / Regions
- Military
- History
- Democracy
- Europe
- Determining America's Role in the World
- Revitalizing History
Join Norbert Röttgen, deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag, and Hoover senior fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss US-German relations; Germany’s defense, economic, and foreign policy priorities; strains in transatlantic relations; and the future of NATO and the European Union.
The conversation examines Germany’s evolving approach to security and defense in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the changing balance of responsibilities within NATO, and the challenges posed by Russia, China, and Iran. Röttgen and McMaster also discuss economic competitiveness, energy security, transatlantic cooperation, democratic resilience, and the political and social forces reshaping Western democracies, as well as the future of the US-German partnership amid a changing international order.
Recorded on May 20, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Dr. Norbert Röttgen serves as deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag. Dr. Röttgen oversees foreign affairs, defense, European security, and human rights. He has served in the Bundestag since 1994 and chaired its Foreign Affairs Committee from 2014 to 2021. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety. A lawyer with a doctorate from the University of Bonn, he is co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of institutions focused on European, transatlantic, and global affairs.
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.”
