Welcome to The Long Game
Foreign policy can seem like a relentless series of crises. And that’s certainly a major part of the job. These days we face a dizzying velocity of challenges in every part of the world, and it’s important to get them right. But doing so means understanding trend lines, not just headlines—the tectonic forces that shape the world over time, as well as the flashpoints of the moment.
That’s why we called our podcast The Long Game. We have been friends since grad school, spent most of our careers advising Presidents and Secretaries of State, and led the national security apparatus under President Biden. Each week, we draw on those firsthand experiences to explain and examine the foreign policy issues that are front of mind and those that should be, from wars in Europe and the Middle East to competition with China, and economic statecraft to emerging technologies like AI.
In our recurring “Red Team-Blue Team” segment, we debate the policy choices leaders face, stress-testing competing assumptions and strategies, and calling each other out for soft arguments. In the “Options Memo” segment we lay out the objectives, risks, and compromises involved in hard decisions, just as we did when our former bosses had to choose among imperfect paths, based on incomplete information. And we regularly bring in some of the world’s best diplomats, military officials, reporters, and other experts to help us make sense of it all. Our goal is to give listeners a rare window into decision-making at the pinnacle of power.
The Long Game+ Subscription
On our Substack, you’ll find free weekly podcast episodes, including show notes, references, and transcripts.
Paid subscribers to The Long Game+ have exclusive access to special podcast segments, like the listener Mailbag and The Wrap, where we share our must-reads, preview what’s coming next on the world stage, and correct the record on what we might have gotten wrong.
Thanks for being here,
Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
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