Today’s Battlegrounds

Join Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, prime minister of Haiti, and Hoover senior fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss Haiti’s escalating security crisis, efforts to dismantle gang control, and the role of the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force in restoring order. Fils-Aimé outlines how his government is working to reclaim territory, strengthen police capacity, and restore security to enable long-delayed elections. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is a businessman and economist educated at Boston University, who built his career in private enterprise and previously served as president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti. In November 2024, he was selected as acting prime minister by Haiti's Transitional Presidential Council, and when that body's mandate expired in February 2026, he became Haiti's de facto executive, focused on defeating gang coalitions and restoring democratic governance. 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 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.

Join former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, David MacNaughton, and Hoover Senior Fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss Canada and US cooperation on Arctic and North American security, prospects for deepening economic cooperation after the 2026 review of the USMCA trade agreement, and opportunities to turn recent tensions into opportunities for both nations. Reflecting on current geopolitical forces shaping North America and the Western Hemisphere, MacNaughton provides his insight on shifting dynamics in Venezuela, China’s expanding economic and strategic footprint in Latin America, and the implications of political rhetoric and rising tensions on the US–Canada relationship. Exploring a forward-looking agenda centered on continental defense and resilience, including the modernization of NORAD, missile defense, and the protection of critical infrastructure, McMaster and MacNaughton highlight the growing importance of energy security, critical minerals, and resilient supply chains as pillars of economic and national security. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ambassador David MacNaughton is a veteran Canadian diplomat, business leader, and public affairs strategist who served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States from 2016 to 2019. Over a career spanning more than four decades, MacNaughton has been a central figure in Canadian public policy and cross-border economic relations. Prior to his diplomatic service, MacNaughton led strategy in Canadian public affairs and investment banking. Following his tenure in Washington he served as President of Palantir Canada from 2019 to 2025. 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 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.

Join Chung Eui-yong, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and Hoover Senior Fellow, H.R. McMaster, as they discuss the future of the US–ROK alliance in the face of North Korea’s accelerating weapons programs, the implications of a growing Russia–North Korea partnership, and how Washington and Seoul can strengthen deterrence while preserving space for diplomacy on the Korean Peninsula. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Chung Eui-yong is the former minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Korea. Minister Chung joined South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971. He later served in the National Assembly and contributed to deliberations over the US–Korea Free Trade Agreement. In 2017, President Moon Jae-in appointed him director of the National Security Office, where he coordinated South Korea’s national security strategy. He went on to serve as foreign minister from 2021 to 2022, helping steer South Korea’s alliance management, North Korea policy, and regional engagement. 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 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.

Join Ian Rowe, cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies and Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Hoover senior fellow H.R. McMaster as they discuss education reform and the importance of cultivating agency, character, and civic understanding in young people. Recorded at Vertex Partnership Academies in the Bronx, the conversation explores how education can help students develop responsibility, meaning, and moral discernment. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ian Rowe is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where his work centers on education, upward mobility, family formation, and adoption. Mr. Rowe holds degrees from Cornell University and Harvard Business School. He is the author of Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover their Pathway to Power. The FREE acronym stands for Family, Religion, Education and Entrepreneurship. Rowe is cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a network of virtues-based International Baccalaureate public charter high schools launched in the Bronx in 2022. 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 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.

Join Mr. Zohar Palti, former director of the Policy and Political-Military Bureau at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster as they discuss Israel’s security posture after the October 7 attacks, strategic lessons of the war in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and beyond, and the implications of the Trump-brokered peace agreement for Israel, the broader Middle East, and global security. Drawing on decades of experience within Israel’s security and intelligence community, Palti assesses the prospects for regional stability, the future of Hamas in Gaza, emerging opportunities and risks in Lebanon and Syria, and the critical role of U.S.–Israel cooperation in countering Iranian aggression. Palti reflects on the necessity of sustained American engagement in the Middle East and the shared responsibility of democratic nations to confront terrorist and proxy threats while upholding the democratic principles they seek to protect. For more conversations from world leaders from key countries, subscribe to receive instant notification of the next episode. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Zohar Palti is the former Director of the Policy and Political-Military Bureau at Israel’s Ministry of Defense. He previously led the Mossad Intelligence Directorate and served as the agency’s Chief of Counterterrorism, following twenty-five years in the Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Corps. Mr. Palti has also been a senior research fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and is currently a fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Public Service for strengthening U.S.–Israel strategic defense cooperation. 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 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.