The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer

Vox Media Podcast Network
  • 4.8 (509)
  • 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. 5d ago

    A Diesel Deal With Russia, a Dilemma for NATO, Houthis Escalate Saudi Arabia Attacks

    President Trump has struck a diesel deal with Russia as fuel prices squeeze Americans. But what does easing restrictions on Russian exports mean for Ukraine and for efforts to end the war? Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer examine the deal’s potential economic impact, the growing tension between Washington and Kyiv, and the prospects for an energy ceasefire as winter approaches. Then, renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis raises difficult questions about American commitments in the Middle East. With Saudi airports and energy infrastructure under attack, could the United States or Israel enter the fight? What could either accomplish? Finally, an Options Memo for NATO’s Secretary General: How should the alliance respond if Russian sabotage kills civilians in a member country? Jake and Jon weigh “light,” “medium,” and “heavy” responses, exploring the challenge of restoring deterrence without triggering a wider war. Listen for the hard choices behind the headlines and the risks each carries. 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. References and supplemental materials Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO,  Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?, Warsaw Security Forum, October 12, 2026. Feras Dalatey, “Amazon's AWS is unable to restore access to Bahrain, one UAE cloud data zone after war damage,” Reuters, September 15, 2026  Photo credit: Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    A Diesel Deal With Russia, a Dilemma for NATO, Houthis Escalate Saudi Arabia Attacks

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

    Are We Measuring the AI Race All Wrong?

    Who’s winning the AI race: the US or China? Building the best models is only part of the contest. How countries put AI to work—and whose technology the world adopts—could matter just as much. In this week’s Long Game+ mailbag segment for paid subscribers, Jake and Jon answer a listener’s question about who’s winning the AI race. They examine each country’s advantages and the policy choices that could shape who pulls ahead. Photo Credit: Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

    Are We Measuring the AI Race All Wrong?

  3. Oct 12

    How China Changed the Oil Market—and the Iran War

    Javier Blas, Bloomberg Opinion’s energy and commodities columnist, joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to explain why the Iran war has produced an oil market few expected: crude prices hovering around $100 a barrel while tankers are braving missile attacks, and sharper pain for people buying diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil. How has China’s retreat from the oil market changed the pressure on Washington and Tehran? Why are some traders reluctant to bet on higher prices even when they fear escalation? And how long can the improvised system keeping oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz hold together? 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: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    How China Changed the Oil Market—and the Iran War

  4. Oct 8 ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    Could the AI Race Push China to Invade Taiwan?

    Could tighter U.S. restrictions on advanced chips push China toward military action against Taiwan? It’s a high-stakes question at the intersection of the AI race and the risk of war. In this Long Game+ listener mailbag segment for paid subscribers, Jake and Jon answer a YouTube viewer’s question about that risk. They explore Xi Jinping’s calculations—and why taking Taiwan would not necessarily give Beijing the chipmaking capacity it wants. Photo Credit: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Could the AI Race Push China to Invade Taiwan?

  5. Oct 1

    Anne Applebaum on the Grifters and Ideologues Reshaping US Foreign Policy

    Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic, joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to discuss how far-right ideology and private profit have become intertwined in the Trump administration’s approach to the world; the subject of her new cover story for The Atlantic.  They also examine the opaque U.S. oil arrangements in Venezuela, the campaign for political influence in Greenland, and the difficult work of rebuilding American institutions and alliances after Trump. For paid subscribers, Jake and Jon continue their conversation with Anne Applebaum. She details what changes to the White House and the Kennedy Center reveal about political power and culture in Washington.Subscribe to Long Game + on Apple or Substack for access and to support the show.  Access 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: Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Anne Applebaum on the Grifters and Ideologues Reshaping US Foreign Policy

  6. Oct 1 ·  Bonus • The Long Game+ Only

    Why Anne Applebaum Would Take a Wrecking Ball to Trump’s Ballroom

    Anne Applebaum argues that President Trump’s plans for the White House ballroom and his efforts to remake the Kennedy Center are more than matters of taste. They raise a larger question about whom America’s public institutions belong to and what happens when a president treats them as personal property. Then, in a rapid-fire round, Applebaum weighs the far right’s prospects in Europe, the countries that could become the next geopolitical flashpoints, the leaders she admires, the future of The Washington Post, and what still gives her hope. Photo Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

    Why Anne Applebaum Would Take a Wrecking Ball to Trump’s Ballroom

  7. Sep 24

    The U.S.–China Relationship Is Moving in Two Directions

    PHOTO CREDIT China experts Jessica Chen Weiss, David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and Julian Gewirtz, fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and senior research scholar at Columbia University, join Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington. What does Xi hope to secure from President Trump—and what should the United States seek in return? Could the current truce become a durable détente, or is the relationship moving in two directions at once: greater stability at the top and deeper competition underneath? And as concern grows about advanced AI, can Washington and Beijing reduce the risks without resolving their fundamental distrust? The conversation also examines Taiwan, rare-earth export controls, China’s expanding global role, and the choices that could shape the relationship long after this week’s summit. For paid subscribers, Jake and Jon break down President Trump’s United Nations General Assembly speech in a special segment. Subscribe to Long Game + on Apple or Substack for access and to support the show.  Access 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:  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The U.S.–China Relationship Is Moving in Two Directions

  8. Sep 24 • The Long Game+ Only

    Bad AI Intel Nearly Sent the U.S. Navy Onto a Chinese Ship

    Reports that the U.S. Navy nearly boarded a Chinese ship after an AI-assisted intelligence assessment wrongly flagged nuclear-related cargo offer a glimpse of how quickly a failure could become an international crisis. In this exclusive segment for The Long Game+ subscribers, Jake and Jon and their guests, China experts Jessica Chen Weiss and Julian Gewirtz, analyze what this near miss means for the future of AI safety and the US-China relationship. They also weigh in on whether Chinese leadership would prefer a President J.D. Vance or a Democratic White House in 2029. If you’re not yet a subscriber to The Long Game+, now is a great time to upgrade. You'll get access to exclusive podcast segments and help support our work. Photo Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images

    Bad AI Intel Nearly Sent the U.S. Navy Onto a Chinese Ship
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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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