Tamara Sepper is the Executive Producer of The Long Game

Kash Patel is reportedly planning an October trip to Russia, a rare journey for an FBI director, and, given the Trump administration’s posture toward the Kremlin, a suspicious one. Across the Atlantic, new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham enters Downing Street with virtually no foreign policy record, leaving his first cabinet picks to signal Britain’s next direction.

In this special Mailbag episode for paid subscribers, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer answer listener questions about both developments.

If you’re a paid subscriber, thank you for supporting the show. Watch the episode and share your thoughts and questions by commenting below or email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

And if you’re not yet a paid subscriber, now is a great time to join. You’ll get access to exclusive podcast segments like this one, recommendations from Jake and Jon, and other exclusive subscriber-only content.

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A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER

is the Executive Producer of The Long Game

You may have seen the latest news that the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire has effectively collapsed, and the Strait of Hormuz is once again at the center of the crisis. After days of renewed tension, President Trump announced this morning that the U.S. would reimpose its blockade of Iranian ports and charge a 20% protection fee on all cargo moving through the Strait.

In a special segment for paid subscribers, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer break down the latest developments and the bigger strategic questions now facing the U.S., Iran, and the region, including:

• Did the hostilities resume because the U.S. and Iran never had a true meeting of the minds about what their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) actually required?

• Can President Trump successfully renegotiate or walk back the terms the U.S. already agreed to?

• What is the “balance of pain” between Iran and the U.S., and which side can better withstand economic and political pressure?

• What happens if the Gulf countries increasingly bypass Washington and cut their own deals with Iran to protect their interests?

• And, how likely is it that global companies and countries reroute shipping, build pipelines, or otherwise “engineer around” the Strait – and on what timeline?

If you’re a paid subscriber, thank you for supporting the show. Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments; we’re collecting them for our future special Mailbag segments where Jake and Jon answer listener questions.

And if you’re not yet a paid subscriber, now is a great time to join. You’ll get access to special segments like this one, Mailbag episodes, recommendations from Jake and Jon, and other exclusive subscriber-only content.

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Jennifer Indig is the Lead Editorial Producer for The Long Game

This week, we have a special bonus segment for paid subscribers featuring a lightning round with historian and foreign policy scholar Robert Kagan, recorded live at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

After conducting a sweeping net assessment of America at 250, from the future of American power and the international order to democratic resilience and great-power competition, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer shift gears with a series of rapid-fire questions directed at Kagan that reveal a more personal side of one of America’s most influential foreign policy thinkers. Kagan weighs in on the most misunderstood figures in history, the presidents he believes are overrated and underrated, the books that have shaped his thinking, the most unpopular opinion he holds, and even his lifelong allegiance to the New York Yankees, before ending on a surprisingly hopeful note.

This content is exclusively for paying subscribers. Thank you for supporting our work.

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Jennifer Indig is the Lead Editorial Producer for The Long Game

This week, we have a special bonus segment for paid subscribers inspired by Ambassador Wendy Sherman’s appearance on the show.

Drawing on their own experiences negotiating with Iranian officials during the Obama administration, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer share behind-the-scenes stories from the talks that led to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. From secret meetings in Oman to late-night bargaining sessions in Vienna, they reflect on what diplomacy looks like in practice, the personalities involved, and some of the unexpected moments that shaped one of the most consequential negotiations of the last decade.

This content is exclusively for paying subscribers. Thank you for supporting our work.

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Jennifer Indig is the Deputy Editor for The Long Game

This week, we have a special segment for paid subscribers: The Wrap. It is inspired by the daily end-of-day meetings Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer held while serving on the National Security Council.

Jake and Jon share their latest reading recommendations, revisit a prediction they may have gotten wrong, and discuss several issues they believe deserve closer attention. Is a return to large-scale U.S. military action in Iran expected? Can AI models improve themselves without human involvement? How concerned should we be about the New World Screwworm? Jake and Jon get into all this and more.

This content is exclusively for paying subscribers. Thank you for supporting our work.

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Jennifer Indig is the Deputy Editor for The Long Game

This week, paid subscribers are receiving a bonus video where Jake and Jon dig into The Long Game mailbag to answer some of our favorite questions submitted by listeners.

They share a behind the scenes reaction to how they approach their Red Team / Blue Team debates, tackle a listener question about whether America’s alliances can be rebuilt after years of disruption, and discuss the implications of President Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte as Director of National Intelligence.

They also respond to a question from a listener interested in pursuing a career in national security, reflecting on the experiences, skills, and habits that matter most in a rapidly changing world.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation driven entirely by questions from The Long Game audience and a chance to hear Jake and Jon engage directly with some of the issues listeners have been raising in recent weeks.

This content is exclusively for paying subscribers. Thank you for supporting our work.

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