Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff moderates a bracing and illuminating conversation with Lt. General H.R. McMaster, the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former U.S. National Security Advisor, and Dr. John Hillen, Executive-in-Residence in Duke University’s Political Science Department and Distinguished Lecturing Fellow at the university’s Center for Politics. Our guests discuss American military history and strategic vision within the context of American self-governance and civilian control of the military. They emphasize that this understanding is the foundation of informed patriotism. Both are members of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education and contributors to an upcoming volume of essays on what every college student should know about American history and government.
00:08 Introduction to John Hillen and H.R. McMaster
04:23 What Makes America Exceptional?
08:36 The Risks and Responsibilities of Liberty
11:12 Washington's Greatest Gift: Restraint
14:23 1777 Was a Pivotal Year
21:41 Learning from America's Failures and Successes
28:15 Military History in Political and Cultural Context
32:06 American Resilience vs. Authoritarian Agility
38:40 What Military History Should Every Student Know?
48:41 Evaluating America's Global Impact Through History
50:59 Would Americans Fight to Defend Their Country?
55:09 Why Debate Belongs in the Classroom
You can find more audio episodes of Higher Ed Now on our website, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!
Website: goacta.org/resources/#/?c=Podcasts
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/higher-ed-now/id1108171208
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4757qyxOBlKaxZGcooaoNm?si=7f5ac38f5fdf40b8
#podcast #highereducation #civiceducation #stanford #military #militaryhistory #americanhistory
On this episode of Higher Ed Now Civics Edition, ACTA President Michael Poliakoff moderates a bracing and illuminating conversation with Lt. General H.R. McMaster, the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former U.S. National Security Advisor, and Dr. John Hillen, Executive-in-Residence in Duke University’s Political Science Department and Distinguished Lecturing Fellow at the university’s Center for Politics. Our guests discuss American military history and strategic vision within the context of American self-governance and civilian control of the military. They emphasize that this understanding is the foundation of informed patriotism. Both are members of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education and contributors to an upcoming volume of essays on what every college student should know about American history and government.
00:08 Introduction to John Hillen and H.R. McMaster
04:23 What Makes America Exceptional?
08:36 The Risks and Responsibilities of Liberty
11:12 Washington's Greatest Gift: Restraint
14:23 1777 Was a Pivotal Year
21:41 Learning from America's Failures and Successes
28:15 Military History in Political and Cultural Context
32:06 American Resilience vs. Authoritarian Agility
38:40 What Military History Should Every Student Know?
48:41 Evaluating America's Global Impact Through History
50:59 Would Americans Fight to Defend Their Country?
55:09 Why Debate Belongs in the Classroom
You can find more audio episodes of Higher Ed Now on our website, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!
Website: goacta.org/resources/#/?c=Podcasts
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/higher-ed-now/id1108171208
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4757qyxOBlKaxZGcooaoNm?si=7f5ac38f5fdf40b8
#podcast #highereducation #civiceducation #stanford #military #militaryhistory #americanhistory
