'In some countries, there’s going to be a great temptation to lock down,' McChrystal says. | M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO McChrystal warns against 'police state'

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, warned on Monday the United States and other countries risk becoming police states as they tighten their grip on civil liberties as they fight a new threat of terrorism.

“In some countries, there’s going to be a great temptation to lock down, and the government is going to get tight control,” McChrystal said at a POLITICO “Lessons from Leaders” luncheon in Washington. “People want order.”


McChrystal explained that single lone-wolf individuals could now do more damage than ever before — and that citizens must guard against ceding too much power to the government in response to a terrorist threat that’s not easing anytime soon.

( More from POLITICO's Lessons from Leaders series)

There is a “delicate sweet spot” between authoritarianism and anarchy, he said, and “we’re going to have to work really hard to work toward it.”

In a wide-ranging discussion, McChrystal also addressed the proliferation of drones and the Rolling Stone magazine profile that led to his resignation in 2010. Asked why he allowed journalist Michael Hastings, who died last year, to embed with him, McChrystal said Hastings was one of many embeds.

“We felt this incredible need to communicate the story to build up support,” McChrystal said. “We did a whole bunch of media and a number of embeds.”

Hastings’s Rolling Stone profile quoted McChrystal and his top aides mocking Vice President Joe Biden and a number of other government officials.

On drones, McChrystal, who’s since co-founded a consulting firm called the McChrystal Group, said the technology has led to major breakthroughs on the battlefield but acknowledged drone attacks can raise other issues.

“You can get this resentment at American arrogance,” he said. “Although militarily it may be just the right move, if you are building up massive resentment, then there’s a negative cost to it.”

McChrystal - famous in the military for his stoic attitude, including reports he slept just four hours a night and ate one meal a day — is still adjusting to civilian life.

“I do try to sleep more now,” he said. “When I get tired, I’m not as good a leader as when I’m not tired.”