Battlegrounds

by H.R. McMaster

I BELIEVED we were at the end of the beginning of a new era. At the end of the last era, the United States and other free and open societies had reason to be confident. The Cold War ended in victory over Communist totalitarianism. The Soviet Union collapsed. Then, during the 1991 Gulf War, America put together a broad international coalition and demonstrated tremendous military prowess to defeat Saddam Hussein’s army and free Kuwait. But after the end of the Cold War, America and other free and open societies forgot that they had to compete to keep their freedom, security, and prosperity. The United States and other free nations were confident—overconfident. Overconfidence led to complacency. I bore witness to that growing confidence.