However, the Jake Sullivan who nOW occupies one of the most crucial positions in American foreign policy is a markedly different figure from the optimistic policy wonk of the Obama era. The transformation began with Hillary Clinton's unexpected loss in the 2016 election, which forced Sullivan to confront some uncomfortable realities about the foreign policy establishment's blind spots. During his time at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Sullivan grappled with how globalization had failed to benefit average Americans and how the United States had unwittingly provided China with access to sensitive technologies.