About this episode
John J. Sullivan, a former State Department official and U.S. ambassador, says yes: “Our politicians aren’t leading — Republicans or Democrats.” He gives a firsthand account of a fateful Biden-Putin encounter, talks about his new book Midnight in Moscow , and predicts what a second Trump term means for Russia, Ukraine, China — and the U.S. SOURCES: John Sullivan , former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. RESOURCES: Midnight in Moscow: A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West, by John Sullivan (2024). " The ‘Deathonomics’ Powering Russia’s War Machine ," by Georgi Kantchev and Matthew Luxmoore ( The Wall Street Journal, 2024). War , by Bob Woodward (2024). " On the Record: The U.S. Administration’s Actions on Russia ," by Alina Polyakova and Filippos Letsas ( Brookings, 2019). " Why Economic Sanctions Still Do Not Work ," by Robert A. Pape ( International Security, 1998). EXTRAS: " The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel ," by Freakonomics Radio (2023). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.