Shows / The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
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.
Episodes
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerTrump’s Russia Deals, Musk’s Starlink Leverage, and Ukraine’s Hardest Winter Yet
Michael Kofman, defense analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, returns to The Long Game as Russia intensifies its bombardment of Ukraine…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIsrael Votes. What Changes?
Israelis are preparing to vote in their first election since the October 7 terrorist attacks. Barak Ravid, global affairs correspondent for Axios, joins Jake…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerA 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerHow 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerAnne 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerThe 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerU.S. Intelligence Under Assault and the High-Stakes AI Race With China
Julia Curlee, a former CIA analyst and acting senior director at the National Security Council, joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to explain why she believes…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer25 Years After 9/11: Admiral McRaven’s Warning for America
25 Years After 9/11: Admiral McRaven’s Warning for America Retired Admiral William H. McRaven, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and Joint…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIran’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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerCorruption 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerCan 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerWhy 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…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerTrump’s Election Playbook, Explained by Jocelyn Benson
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to discuss the security of the 2026 midterm elections — just a day before…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerHeather Cox Richardson on Democracy, Alliances, and America's Future
Historian and author of the “Letters From An American” newsletter Heather Cox Richardson joined Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to discuss the historical roots of…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerAmerica at 250: A Net Assessment (w/ Robert Kagan)
As the United States approaches its 250th birthday, how should Americans assess the country's strength, its democracy, and its role in the world? Recorded live…
- The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
Timothy Snyder on Iran, Ukraine, and the Future of Freedom
Historian and “On Tyranny” author Timothy Snyder joins Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer to discuss the Iran war and ceasefire negotiations, the state of the…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerDid America Lose the Iran War? (w/ Ambassador Wendy Sherman)
President Trump says the war with Iran is over. But what exactly did the United States agree to? Ambassador Wendy Sherman, the lead U.S. negotiator of the 2015…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerWhat the World Cup Reveals About Global Politics (w/ Franklin Foer)
As the World Cup kicks off, what can soccer tell us about the state of the world? Franklin Foer, author of “How Soccer Explains the World,” joins the show to…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIs Ukraine Now Winning the War Against Russia? (w/Michael Kofman)
More than four years into the Russia-Ukraine war, has the battlefield finally begun to shift? Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer sit down with Michael Kofman, one of…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIran Talks and Trump’s Cuba Strategy w/Ricardo Zúñiga
President Trump is simultaneously pursuing peace talks with Iran while escalating U.S. military pressure in the region following recent strikes. Jake Sullivan…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerAmerica’s Cybersecurity Crisis Starts With Software (w/Jen Easterly)
President Trump is preparing to sign a major executive order on AI and cybersecurity at a moment of growing concern over cyber threats from China, Russia…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerChina’s Strategy for Trump (w/Kurt Campbell)
President Trump heads to Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping at a moment of growing instability in the Middle East and rising anxiety across Asia…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIran War & Trump’s Europe Troop Drawdown: What Comes Next?
Iran war developments, including new signs of a potential deal, UAE’s withdrawal from OPEC, and what weeks of conflict have revealed about U.S. leverage. In…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerChina’s Engineering State vs. America’s Lawyerly Society (w/Dan Wang)
Dan Wang, author of Breakneck, breaks down the divide between China’s “engineering state” and America’s “lawyerly society” and what that means for the future…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerDebating the War in Iran and U.S. Strategy (w/H.R. McMaster and Matt Pottinger)
H.R. McMaster and Matt Pottinger, former National Security Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser to President Trump in his first administration, join…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerJohn Kerry on Iran, Israel, and Diplomacy
Former Secretary of State John Kerry, who has spent more time negotiating with Iranian leaders than anyone, joins Jake and Jon to discuss the marathon…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIran Ceasefire Explained: Winners, Losers, and What Comes Next
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer break down the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced Tuesday evening. They walk through how the deal came…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerTrump's Iran Speech & Debating the Deal
One month into the war with Iran, President Trump addressed the nation in prime time — but instead of clarity, the same big questions remain about how this war…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer"Chasing the Dragon" In Iran (with Sen. Ruben Gallego)
Senator Ruben Gallego, a Marine veteran of the Iraq War and U.S. Senator from Arizona, joins Jake and Jon to discuss the war in Iran and Congress’s role in…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerThe Iran War Energy Crisis Is Here (with Helima Croft)
Helima Croft, Head of Global Commodity Strategy at RBC Capital Markets and former CIA economic analyst, joins Jake and Jon as the war with Iran triggers the…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerAmerica Doesn’t Understand Iran And It Shows (with Danny Citrinowicz)
Former Israeli Defense Intelligence officer Danny Citrinowicz joins the show to assess where the war with Iran stands following the killing of Supreme Leader…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIran After Khamenei & Pentagon vs. Anthropic (with Karim Sadjadpour)
Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour joins the show to unpack the U.S.–Israel strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s retaliation across the…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerThe Iran Strikes Explained - Live
Joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, Iran’s retaliation across the region, War Powers Act debate on Capitol Hill. In this recording of a live conversation on…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerMexico, Iran, Anthropic and the SOTU Signals
President Trump’s SOTU speech, war with Iran, cartel violence in Mexico, and a high-stakes standoff between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic, Jake and Jon…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerAI With a Western Soul (with Tyler Cowen)
China, AI, sand — and a 10% chance of UFOs? Jake and Jon are joined by economist and public intellectual Tyler Cowen for a wide-ranging conversation about the…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerRage in Tehran, Lasers in Texas
Iran at a breaking point—and a bizarre airspace shutdown in Texas. As diplomacy and the threat of military action converge around Tehran, Jake and Jon are…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerGeopolitics of the Olympics & Iran's Deal Dilemma
The geopolitics of the Winter Olympics and a pivotal moment in U.S.-Iran diplomacy. As global attention turns to the Games and the possibility of U.S. military…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerDoes China’s Military Purge Raise the Risk Over Taiwan? (with Evan Osnos)
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer are joined by Evan Osnos to examine a domestic flashpoint in Minnesota and a sudden purge at the top of China’s military. They…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerTrump’s Greenland Gambit
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer unpack Trump’s Greenland gambit and the strain it has placed on NATO and America’s closest partners. They situate the crisis within…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerCan Iran’s Regime Survive?
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer examine the rapidly unfolding crisis in Iran, from nationwide protests and an information blackout to the regime’s brutal…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerOccupation by Joystick: Venezuela
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer discuss the U.S. special operations raid that captured Nicolás Maduro and the Trump administration’s claim that…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerIs America Giving China the Keys to AI Dominance?
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer cover: - The fast-escalating U.S. pressure campaign against the Maduro regime in Venezuela — including the growing…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerWill U.S. Strikes Lead to War with Venezuela?
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer cover: - The U.S. “double tap” strike on a boat in the Caribbean that reportedly killed two survivors, raising…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerCrisis Calculus on Ukraine & Taiwan
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer cover: - Deadlock between Russia and Ukraine as war continues - Rising Japan–China tensions over Taiwan and what…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerWhen Washington Smells Weakness
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer cover: - Who gained what after Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince MBS? - How does the corruption scandal…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerFrom Terrorist to President
In this episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer break down: - Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara’s Oval Office meeting with President Trump, - Trump’s upcoming…
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon FinerXi and Putin Got Trump’s Number
In their first episode, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer tackle three flashpoints central to U.S. national security interests right now: U.S. / China relations, the…
- The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
Introducing The Long Game
“The Long Game” is a weekly national-security podcast hosted by Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer, former top White House advisers who’ve sat with the president for…