The View From Here
The View From Here is a weekly podcast hosted by former Pentagon official and foreign policy analyst Jasmine El-Gamal. Each Thursday, she connects global headlines with the human stories behind them, drawing on her experiences in war rooms, conflict zones, and refugee camps. The show examines how policy decisions impact real lives and uncovers the unseen costs of power. It aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions.
Episodes
You Asked, I Answered! Audience Q and A - part one
In this solo episode, Jasmine responds to questions from the audience around her time working at the Pentagon and the conflicts and ceasefires in the Middle East.If you want a question answered on future Q and A episodes, please email us at jasmine@viewfromherepod.com and we will make sure to get to it!Episode notes:See The View From Here episode "America in Crisis: Can the Democratic party rise t
"The Essence of Childhood Has been Destroyed": How the world failed Gaza's children
What does it look like when a childhood is stolen?A new UN report accuses Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, documenting what it describes as the destruction of childhood through death, injury, displacement and psychological trauma. The report has already become deeply politicised, with supporters and critics fiercely debating its findi
The World Cup That Shut Out The World: Trump, Infantino and the politics of sports.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised the 2026 World Cup would be the biggest, most inclusive tournament in history. Instead, fans are being priced out, supporters from qualifying nations are barred from entering the US, players have been detained and questioned at the border, and Iran's team is sleeping in Mexico because of restrictions on staying overnight in the country after they play. Amne
MAGA vs America First: Trump, Israel and the Future of the Republican party
Did Donald Trump change the Republican Party forever, or will he one day be remembered as an exception rather than a transformation?For nearly a decade, Trump has reshaped American politics. But as debates emerge over foreign policy, particularly Israel, Iran, Ukraine, and America's role in the world, questions are growing about what comes next for the Republican Party. Is the MAGA movement evolvi
Can Democrats Learn to Listen? Gaza, Representation, and the Future of American Politics
Can the Democratic Party learn from the mistakes that cost it the last election?For years, conventional wisdom in American politics held that foreign policy doesn’t really move voters. That assumption is being tested. Gaza, Israel, Palestine, America’s role in the world, and questions of morality in foreign policy have become increasingly important to many voters — and they’ve made that clear.Publ
Tommy Robinson's Unite The Kingdom March: Grievance, Propaganda, and Engaging the People Who March
I went to Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march to hear directly from people attending and left thinking we should engage MORE, not less, with them.Many people disagree, arguing that people who attend a march led by a convicted criminal who has been banned from multiple countries and social media platforms should be shunned or shamed. But my question is, if we don't talk to each other, what is
High Stakes Summit: Trump, Xi, and a changing world
President Donald Trump is in China this week for a high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping and the world is watching the relationship that may define this century.For most people, US-China relations can feel abstract. A contest between two great powers, played out through issues like trade and technology. The reality is that this relationship affects almost every aspect of our daily lives: fr
How to Tackle Rising Antisemitism: My Conversation with a Rabbi
Antisemitism is on the rise, and Jewish communities around the world are ever more fearful for their safety. Meanwhile, the conversations in the media around how to tackle this growing problem are more often than not divisive and oversimplified. So I reached out to Rabbi Daniel Epstein, former Chief Rabbi at the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London and now in Australia, to have what we knew wou
Trump, Starmer and the Special Relationship: What a UK Ambassador Really Thinks
Is the UK-US Special Relationship over, or has it just changed beyond recognition? This week, Britain's own ambassador to Washington admitted the US’s special relationship is "probably Israel." Meanwhile, Trump has rebuked Starmer over Iran, and King Charles flew to Washington on a charm offensive. I sat down with a former senior British diplomat in the United States and former Ambassador to Iran
Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Talks: What comes next?
Lebanon is a tiny country of almost 6 million people, and it's always found itself being used as a proxy battleground between different states and actors around it. The Palestinian Liberation Organization set up camp there in the 1970s to fight Israel from Lebanese territory. The Syrians for years under the Assad regime had a strong military presence in Lebanon, described as a de facto occupation
Who Runs the Islamic Republic? Iran’s power structure, negotiation strategy and regional relations.
What does the Islamic Republic really want? As the US imposes a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz in order to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, the two sides still seem intent on trying to find a way to make negotiations work and to bring an end to this destructive war that's affected so many in the region and worldwide. The question is, who is making the decisions inside of Iran? And what do they r
Ceasefire or Escalation? Israel, Iran, and the U.S. After the Brink
In just two days, we've gone from President Donald Trump threatening to destroy all of civilization in Iran, to a ceasefire agreement and vice President JD Vance now headed to Islamabad, Pakistan for negotiations with the Iranians.But in the meantime, Israel is pounding Lebanon. On April 8th, the IDF conducted 100 strikes across Lebanon in 10 minutes scenes of absolute terror and carnage. Iran say
Yemen's Wild Card: Who are the Houthis and what do they want?
Who are the Houthis in Yemen and why did they wait weeks after the war between Israel, Iran, and the US started in order to get involved?How did they originate? Where did they come from? What do they want? Are they really just a proxy that does whatever Iran tells them to? Or are they an organization that has their own objectives and are only allied with Iran when it also suits their own purpose?
Pawns or Peacemakers? Where the Gulf stands on the US-Iran war
The war between Iran, Israel, and the US doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Despite reports of a flurry of diplomacy this last week, there are also reports of a US military operation and potentially a ground invasion increasingly imminent.Now as these three parties to the conflict continue to play games of brinksmanship, the Arab Gulf States are looking increasingly vulnerable, stuck between
A New Supreme Leader in Iran: What does this mean for the war?
This week we're talking about Iran and what it means for the slain Supreme Leader's son to be chosen as his successor.Fourteen days into the war, there still doesn't seem to be any kind of off ramp or any kind of vision for how this war ends. And in the meantime, more and more damage is being done to the region, not just to Iran, not just to the US and Israel those are all parties to the conflict,
Make Americas Great Again? A thaw in US-Colombia relations
After the fall of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro at the hands of US forces, President Trump called Colombian president Gustavo Petro a "sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States." Petro responded by accusing Trump of being "an accomplice to genocide" with a "senile brain."Then, suddenly, things changed. The two leaders exchanged a phone call on January 7th and agre
Between Two Worlds: A Palestinian-Israeli on war, identity and resistance
Jasmine sat down with Mira Awad, a Palestinian Israeli singer and peace activist who has had to grapple with her complex dual identity her whole life. She asked Mira what it was like to live in that in between space and how it’s impacted her life and activism.Mira was also the first, and only, Palestinian Israeli to represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2009, despite facing signi
A Revolution in Iran? What Trump's next moves could mean for Iranians
As Iranians take to the streets in what is now the largest protest movement in recent history, and President Trump says help is on the way, Jasmine spoke to Iranian-American analyst Negah Angah to unpack the latest from Iran.Jasmine and Negah delve into what the current protests mean and how they differ from past movements. Negah highlights the diverse patchwork of religions and ethnicities that m
After Maduro: Venezuela’s uncertain future and America’s role
Following the explosive events of January 3, 2026, when a high-risk U.S. military operation targeted the capital of Venezuela, Caracas and resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, Jasmine goes beyond the headlines to unpack what this all means, politically, socially, and economically:🎙️ The View from Venezuela:Venezuelan analyst and journalist César Báez describes how ordinary Venezuel
Left Behind: Is America betraying our Afghan wartime allies?
Is the Trump administration betraying our wartime allies by shutting down immigration?On November 26, a 29-year old Afghan man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, 20 year old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24 year old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf. Sarah died of her injuries.The Trump administration is using this tragic incident to crack down on immigration, and have
A NYC Love Letter: Muslims in America pt 2
In part two of the Muslims in America episode, I spoke to local New York historian, City University of New York lecturer and small business owner Asad Dandia, who made history himself when he sued the New York Police Department in 2017 after they sent an informant to spy on his community.In doing so, Asad helped change the course of New York history. We spoke about his journey, as well as his work
A Seat at The Table: Muslims in America, Part 1
I sat down with Wael Al Zayat, the CEO of Emgage, an organization working to empower Muslim Americans through civic engagement. We talk about what it means to lead a national organization in this moment—one in which Muslim Americans are becoming more politically active, but also more targeted, as we saw during the mayoral race in New York City recently.Wael walks us through the trends he’s seeing
A Conversation on Sudan: Everything you need to know.
I wanted to start this season with a topic that has been severely underreported in the media and under prioritized by governments, and that is Sudan.Sudan has been in the headlines recently after the city of el-Fasher was captured by the RSF, the Rapid Support Forces, one of two parties, the other being the Sudanese Armed Forces, to a conflict that has ravaged the country in unimaginable ways.More
Reflections on Empathy and Human Security
In this solo episode, Jasmine reflects on the key themes and lessons learned from season one: the importance of human security and the responsibility to protect; the role of trust, whether between states or between societies and their governments; why exhibiting empathy in negotiations is not a weakness, but rather, sound strategy; why recognizing and understanding human fear is necessary to break
No Boundaries? Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar
Israel's September 9th strike on Hamas leaders in Doha has raised urgent questions about whether any red lines exist anymore. For the first time, Qatar, a major non-NATO ally to the US, host to Hamas’ political office and a key mediator in ceasefire talks, was directly targeted. What does this mean for Qatar’s security, its relationship with Washington, and the fragile regional balance moving forw
America in Crisis: Can the Democratic Party rise to the moment?
As the Trump administration continues to attack America’s democratic values and institutions, and with political violence on the rise, the Democratic party seems hapless, seemingly unable to offer a real alternative vision. To analyse the current moment, Jasmine sat down with the Vice President of the Center for International Policy and former foreign policy advisor Matt Duss to discuss the Democr
Not in My Name: The Israelis that refused to serve in the IDF
Nearly two years after the Oct 7 attacks on Israel, Jasmine sits down with two Israelis, Etan Nechin and Iddo Elam, who made the rare choice to refuse to serve in the Israeli military. Etan is a writer for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, where he has written extensively about the Netanyahu government's policies and Iddo is an activist against the occupation, apartheid and the genocide in Gaza. She
Modern Day Tsar: What Vladimir Putin really wants
What made Vladimir Putin the person he is today and what does he want out of Ukraine?Three and a half years on from Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and more than ten years on from annexing Crimea, Jasmine sat down with Russian analyst and the head of the Berlin-based Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Alexander (Sasha) Gabuev, to understand the man behind the villainous character in the headlin
Famine in Gaza: Is the U.S. complicit?
Alex Smith is a lawyer, humanitarian, famine expert, and former USAID official who resigned in protest over U.S. policy in Gaza.Together with Jasmine, they unpack how a famine - so preventable and so widely predicted - was allowed to unfold in Gaza, the first famine ever declared in the Middle East by the UN-backed IPC.Alex draws on more than two decades of work in conflict zones, from Afghanistan
We Are Not Invisible: The return of the Taliban and the erasure of Afghan women
It's been four years since the West left Afghanistan in shambles and the Taliban swept back to power. After years of foreign forces in the region, under the stated aim of ensuring peace, prosperity and freedom for Afghan men, women and children, the Taliban reimposed their repressive regime - with horrendous consequences for Afghan women and girls.Shukria Barakzai is an Afghan journalist, former d
We Are Not Numbers: A Palestinian story of life under occupation
We are not numbers: A Palestinian story of life under occupation. Ahmed Alnaouq is known for being the Palestinian journalist who lost 21 members of his family in an Israaeli military strike after October 7th. But he's more than that. He's an author and editor on a mission to push back against the dehumanization of Palestinians in the Western media and by Western governments. He's here to remind u
What's behind the Druze-Bedouin violence in Sweida?
What brought about the violence in Sweida? Who are the Bedoins and the Druze and why are they fighting? Is the al-Sharaa government making things better or worse?And what do Israel and the US have to do with all of this?Jasmine El-Gamal sits down with Orwa Ajjoub for part 2 of their conversation, where they discuss the ever growing challenges facing Syrians since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regi
How a former al-Qaeda fighter toppled the "Butcher" of Damascus
What led to the sudden collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s rule? How was it experienced inside Syria? And how did a little-known former al-Qaeda fighter rise to take his place?In the first of a two-part series, Jasmine explores the fall of the Assad regime and the end of a repressive dynasty that ruled Syria with an iron fist for more than five decades.She is joined by Syrian academic Orwa Ajjoub to unp
"Waves of Dead Children": A trauma surgeon's view from Gaza
What was it like working in Nasser Hospital in Gaza when it was bombed? What price have the children of Gaza paid since October 7, 2023? And how desperate is the situation in the coastal enclave right now for civilians?In the first episode of The View From Here, Jasmine El-Gamal sits down with Morgan McMonagle - an Irish trauma surgeon who joins humanitarian missions at hospitals in some of the mo
Introducing ... The View From Here
From war rooms to conflict zones to refugee camps, former Pentagon official and foreign policy analyst Jasmine El-Gamal draws on her experiences to examine how policy decisions impact real lives, uncovering the unseen costs of power.Each Tuesday on The View From Here, Jasmine connects the dots between global headlines and the human stories behind them.The View from Here is foreign policy, reimagin
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