The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer

Vox Media Podcast Network
  • 4.4 (11)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated weekly

The Long Game is a weekly national security podcast hosted by Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Advisor, and Jon Finer, his Principal Deputy—senior aides who sat in on the classified Presidential Daily Brief each morning and translated raw intelligence into policy advice. Each week, Jake and Jon will pull back the curtain on how power really works helping you make sense of the national security stories unfolding today. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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  1. 6 days ago

    Iran’s “Economic D-Day” and the US-Canada Rupture

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. is entering “the endgame” with Iran, launching what he calls an “economic D-Day.” Closer to home, U.S.-Canada trade talks have collapsed after Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected Washington’s latest demands.  Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer examine whether Operation Economic Outcast can change Iran’s calculus, why China holds the key, and why Canadians are backing a trade fight they expect to hurt. They also stage a Red Team/Blue Team debate over President Trump’s new cyber memo, which allows private companies to conduct offensive operations against foreign cybercriminals. Jon makes the case for the so-called cyber privateers, while Jake lays out the risks. Subscribe to The Long Game+ on Apple podcasts or on Substack for access to exclusive segments. This week, Jake and Jon tackle two listener questions: What should we make of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s unannounced trip to Moscow? And, how did Jake and Jon manage the physical and mental toll of their years as national security advisors?  Video versions of exclusive podcast segments, transcripts, and more available on Substack: https://thelonggame.substack.com/ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podlonggame Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com. Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly. The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Iran’s “Economic D-Day” and the US-Canada Rupture

  2. 6 days ago ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    The CIA Director’s Moscow Mission

    Why did CIA Director John Ratcliffe make an unannounced trip to Moscow, and why use an intelligence back channel? In this exclusive Mailbag segment for subscribers, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer consider what message Ratcliffe may have carried, from a possible warning about Russian escalation against NATO countries to an Iran-related appeal or a new piece of intelligence demanding immediate attention. Then, Jake and Jon answer a question about how they protected their physical and mental health during years of long hours and interrupted sleep at the White House. Email Jake and Jon your questions and comments at longgame@voxmedia.com Photo by Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images

    The CIA Director’s Moscow Mission

  3. 7 Aug ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    The Lance Armstrong Theory of American Politics

    What happens when abuses of power stop shocking the public? In this exclusive segment for Long Game+ subscribers, Patrick Radden Keefe, Jake Sullivan, and Jon Finer examine how outrage fatigue can become a culture of impunity. They discuss President Trump’s willingness to say the quiet part out loud and whether repeated norm-breaking makes corruption feel inevitable. Patrick warns that the cynicism may spread far beyond politics, creating a Lance Armstrong-style logic: If everyone else is cheating, only a fool follows the rules. Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com with your thoughts and questions. Photo by Tim de Waele/Corbis via Getty Images

    The Lance Armstrong Theory of American Politics

  4. 6 Aug

    Corruption in a Shameless Age (with Patrick Radden Keefe)

    Acclaimed investigative journalist and New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to discuss his new book, London Falling.  They discuss London’s dirty-money economy, “Say Nothing” and the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement, whether the CIA helped spread the Scorpions’ “Wind of Change” behind the Iron Curtain, what a year inside the Pentagon taught Patrick about Washington, and why powerful people rarely see themselves as villains. At the end, Patrick, Jake and Jon share their summer reading list. In an exclusive segment for subscribers to The Long Game+ on Apple or Substack: Patrick, Jake, and Jon examine how Trump-era impunity and outrage fatigue can normalize corruption.  Access to video versions of exclusive podcast segments, transcripts, and more on Substack: https://thelonggame.substack.com/ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podlonggame Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com. Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly. The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network. Photo credit: Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Corruption in a Shameless Age (with Patrick Radden Keefe)

  5. 30 Jul

    Can Europe Defend Itself Without America? Radek Sikorski on NATO & Ukraine

    Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław “Radek” Sikorski joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to assess Europe’s security at a moment of growing strain in the transatlantic alliance. They discuss whether Europe can deter Russia with a reduced US military presence, how NATO should respond to Russian sabotage and possible false-flag operations, and whether America can still be counted on if Article 5 is tested. Sikorski also lays out Ukraine’s possible path to victory, the pressure building on Russia’s economy, the prospects for tougher sanctions, China’s leverage over Vladimir Putin, and why he sees the European Union as a strategic shield for Poland and Ukraine. Then, Jake and Jon discuss Sikorski’s strikingly cautious assessment of the US commitment to NATO—and revisit the closest they came to an Article 5 crisis while serving in the Biden administration. For subscribers to The Long Game+ on Apple Podcasts: Jake and Jon break down the FCC’s new restrictions on foreign-made humanoid robots and connected power inverters—and what the action reveals about the widening US technology competition with China. Subscribe to The Long Game on Substack for access to video versions of exclusive podcast segments, transcripts, and more: https://thelonggame.substack.com/ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@podlonggame Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com. Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly. The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Can Europe Defend Itself Without America? Radek Sikorski on NATO & Ukraine

  6. 29 Jul ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    Why the US is Banning Chinese Humanoid Robots

    The FCC has imposed new restrictions on foreign-made humanoid robots and on connected power inverters used across the energy system. Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer break down the national-security case for the move and why it is aimed primarily at China. They also debate where the government should draw the line as cars, appliances, and other everyday products become connected and capable of collecting data and whether import restrictions can buy the United States enough time to build competitive domestic industries. This exclusive segment is available to subscribers of The Long Game+ on Apple Podcasts. Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com with your thoughts and questions.

    Why the US is Banning Chinese Humanoid Robots

  7. 23 Jul

    Why Zelensky Fired His War Chiefs & Where Trump's Iran War Goes Next

    Zelensky just fired his defense minister, his top general, and his prime minister in a single reshuffle — and thousands of Ukrainians poured into the streets. Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer unpack what's really driving it: a generational war over how to fight, Zelensky's wariness of rivals who outshine him, and a reckoning over corruption in military procurement. They trace how Ukraine's homegrown drone industry — now the front line of the war — grew out of a 2023 "tech sprint," and why it may soon make Ukraine one of the world's largest arms exporters. Then, Iran. With the ceasefire dead and the Strait of Hormuz closed, Jake and Jon reopen their "options memo" — keep striking, cut a deal, go for a knockout blow, or walk away.  Subscribe to The Long Game on Substack for access to exclusive podcast segments, transcripts, and more: https://thelonggame.substack.com/ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com. Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly. The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network. Photo credit: Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Why Zelensky Fired His War Chiefs & Where Trump's Iran War Goes Next

  8. 23 Jul ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    Kash Patel’s Russia Trip & Andy Burnham's Foreign Policy

    In this subscriber-only mailbag, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer take two listener questions. First: FBI Director Kash Patel is reportedly planning an October trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg. How unusual is that — and why would an FBI director go to Russia? Jake and Jon on the "highly suspect" two-city tour, Patel's taste for quasi-tourist official travel, the risk of an FSB propaganda win, and the slim chance there's a serious purpose behind it. Then: what to make of Andy Burnham becoming UK prime minister. With a thin foreign policy record and no relationship with Trump, the early tells are his appointments — Jonathan Powell staying on as National Security Advisor, Ed Miliband as foreign secretary, and John Healy, who once resigned over defense spending, now running the budget as chancellor. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Have a question for Jake and Jon? Email longgame@voxmedia.com. Join The Long Game+ on Apple Podcasts for exclusive podcast segments. The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.

    Kash Patel’s Russia Trip & Andy Burnham's Foreign Policy
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

The Long Game is a weekly national security podcast hosted by Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Advisor, and Jon Finer, his Principal Deputy—senior aides who sat in on the classified Presidential Daily Brief each morning and translated raw intelligence into policy advice. Each week, Jake and Jon will pull back the curtain on how power really works helping you make sense of the national security stories unfolding today. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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