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The Interview

Former Commander ISAF and US Forces, Afghanistan - General Stanley McChrystal

The Interview

BBC

News, Government, Politics

4.3537 Ratings

🗓️ 9 November 2018

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The US mid-term elections were a mixed picture for President Trump. Democrats took control of the House of Representatives and that will allow them to block the President’s legislative agenda. As a leader Donald Trump has been accused of dividing the country and now Congress is split. Sarah Montague speaks to one of America’s best known and celebrated military leaders. General Stanley McChrystal oversaw the American war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since leaving the military he has studied and taught the principles that make good leaders effective. So what kind of leadership does he think the US needs now?

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service.

0:03.7

This is Hard Talk with me, Sarah Montague.

0:06.4

Thanks for downloading this edition of the programme and I hope you enjoy it.

0:09.5

Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Sarah Montague.

0:13.4

The US midterm elections were a mixed picture for President Trump.

0:18.0

Democrats took control of the House of Representatives

0:20.3

and that will allow them to

0:22.3

block the President's legislative agenda. As a leader, Donald Trump has been accused of dividing

0:28.4

the country, and now Congress is split. My guest today is one of America's best known and celebrated

0:34.3

military leaders. General Stanley McChrystal led special forces operations

0:38.6

in Iraq and commanded the US and ISAF troops in Afghanistan. He lost his job after disparaging

0:45.4

comments his team had made about President Obama's administration were reported in a magazine article.

0:51.4

Since then, he studied and taught the principles that make good leaders

0:55.8

effective. So what kind of leadership does he think the United States needs now? General Stanley

1:01.3

McChrystal, welcome to hard talk. Thanks for having me. Divided country, now divided Congress.

1:07.8

What would you advise your commander-in-chief to do, given the situation that faces

1:13.6

him? Well, I think if a short-term view was winning the 2016 election and then another

1:20.1

short-term view was trying to hold on to what he had in the 2018 elections, I think right now

1:25.7

he needs to take a long-term view. And a long-term view means

1:28.6

he's got to think, not about his legacy, but about American values, about America's

1:34.3

sustainability as a working democracy. I think that means you've got to bring people together.

1:39.0

I think that means you've got to get America to have a national conversation on leadership,

...

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