The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer

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.

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Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

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The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Photo credit: Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images
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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 President Trump’s primetime Thursday address, expected to focus in part on “election integrity.”

They discuss Trump’s claims about noncitizen voting, the SAVE Act, efforts to access state voter rolls, the dismantling of federal election security infrastructure, and whether federal agents could be deployed to polling places.

Then Jake and Jon debate whether Russia might escalate against NATO as Ukraine gains ground — and what that would mean for the alliance.

For subscribers to the Long Game+ on Apple: Jake and Jon break down the latest on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, including the unraveling ceasefire and Trump’s decision to reimpose a blockade of Iranian exports.

Subscribe to The Long Game on Substack for access to video versions of exclusive podcast segments, transcripts, and more.

Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Photo credit: Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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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 today's political moment, the relationship between American democracy and U.S. global leadership, the future of the international order, and what a new foreign policy for the 21st century could look like.

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For exclusive podcast segments, become a member of the Long Game on Substack or Apple.

Show notes are available here.

Transcript here.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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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 at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer are joined by historian and foreign policy scholar Robert Kagan for a wide-ranging conversation on America's future. Drawing on four decades of writing about American power and the international order, Kagan argues that the United States is living through two historic shifts at once: a renewed struggle over American identity at home and a retreat from the global leadership that defined the post-World War II era.

Topics covered:


Whether the United States is entering a genuinely multipolar world


The future of NATO, Europe, China, and Taiwan


Democratic backsliding and the resilience of American institutions


What America's role in the world should look like over the next quarter century

Jake and Jon also challenge Kagan on Iraq, Iran, the use of American power abroad, and whether the United States can rebuild trust with its allies after the Trump era.

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For exclusive podcast segments, become a member of the Long Game on Substack or Apple. 

Show notes are available here.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Transcript here.

Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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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 Russia-Ukraine conflict, how Ukraine has transformed drone warfare, what these wars reveal about the limits of American military power, and what a positive vision of freedom looks like for the United States as it approaches its 250th anniversary. 

Follow The Long Game so you never miss an episode. New episodes drop weekly.

Show notes are available here.

Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Transcript here.

Email Jake and Jon at longgame@voxmedia.com.

The Long Game is produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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