The View From Here

Jasmine El-Gamal

The View From Here is a brand-new weekly podcast hosted by former Pentagon official and foreign policy analyst Jasmine El-Gamal. Each Thursday, Jasmine connects the dots between global headlines and the human stories behind them. From war rooms to conflict zones to refugee camps, she draws on her experiences to examine how policy decisions impact real lives, uncovering the unseen costs of power. The View from Here is foreign policy, reimagined: from the people shaping it, to those it impacts. Get in touch with us with your thoughts and questions! You can find us at jasmine@viewfromherepod.com. Disclaimer: The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

  1. 04/12/2025

    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 mentioned the Afghan community specifically. But there is more to the picture. Rahmanullah had reportedly suffered from severe mental health challenges, and tried to reach out for help from the CIA, who he had worked with in Afghanistan, before coming to the US in 2021 as part of an effort initiated by the Biden administration to help our wartime allies. He was granted asylum this year under the Trump administration. To understand the full picture behind this story, I spoke to Shawn Van Diver, a Navy veteran and the founder of Afghan Evac, an organization which helps our Afghan allies secure a new life in the United States with their families. Episode Notes: Afghan Evac: https://afghanevac.org/ Afghan Evac on Substack: https://afghanevac.substack.com/

    38 min

  2. 27/11/2025

    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 helping to get Zohran Mamdani elected as the first Muslim mayor of New York, and what the future holds for our beloved city. This week, the view is from New York. Episode notes: Asad's tour company, New York Narratives: http://newyorknarratives.com/ I was a Muslim teen under NYPD surveillance: https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/i-was-muslim-teen-under-nypd-surveillance-now-i-have Bloomberg's NYPD spied on me for being Muslim: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/02/20/bloombergs-nypd-spied-me-being-muslim-he-has-never-apologized/ The man behind the radical walking tours of New York City: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/asad-dandia-radical-walking-tours-new-york-city/

    48 min

  3. 20/11/2025

    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 within the community, how attitudes are shifting and what issues are driving people to the polls. We also talked about Emgage’s experiences engaging with the Biden administration and the Trump and Harris campaigns last year, and about anti Muslim hate and whether it is being normalized. I also asked Wael about allyship across communities: what we can all do as people who care about human rights, equality, and international law to affect a political system that seems to work for the privileged few. Episode notes: Emgage USA: https://emgageusa.org/ What Zohran Mamdani's Victory Tells Us About America, Wael Al Zayat https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/zohran-mamdani-victory-america Muslim Americans Share Political Attitudes With Both THe Democrat And Republican Parties: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/21/muslim-americans-share-political-attitudes-with-both-the-democratic-and-republican-parties/

    50 min

  4. 13/11/2025

    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 than 150,000 people have died in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis. But this didnt happen overnight. For many months, everyone from Sudanese activists and journalists to the UN has been warning of the exact scenario we see unfolding today. So what happened? Why were all these warnings ignored? And what were some of the historic and structural factors in Suday that led to this moment? I spoke to Kholood Khair, a Sudanese political analyst and the founding director of Confluence Advisory, a "think-and-do" tank based in Khartoum, to unpack the issues for us and tell us what both policymakers and ordinary people can do to help. This week, the view is from Sudan. We want to hear from you! Email us on jasmine@viewfromherepod.com The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host. Episode Notes: Articles by Kholood: The World Once Tried to Stop a Genocide in Sudan. Now It Looks Away: https://time.com/7017127/sudan-darfur-crisis/ Sudan's Dangerous Descent Into Warlordism: https://time.com/6342732/sudan-burhan-hemedti-descent-warlordism/ Local Aid Groups Are Keeping Sudan Alive: https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2024-12/local-aid-groups-are-keeping-sudan-alive Article by Ahmed Gouja: An Atrocity Foretold: How the RSF Seige of Al Fasher Turned Into Genocidal Slaughter: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2025/10/30/atrocity-foretold-how-rsf-siege-el-fasher-turned-genocidal-slaughter How You Can Help: Mutual Aid Sudan: https://www.mutualaidsudan.org/ Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://www.sudansolidarity.com/ Sudanese-American Physicians Association (SAPA): https://sapa-usa.org/

    1h 1m

  5. 30/09/2025

    Empathy and Human Security: Reflections on Season One

    In the season finale of "The View From Here," 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 breaking cycles of violence; and why accountability in politics is a key factor in a healthy society. Jasmine highlights the need for a people-centered approach to national security and domestic and foreign policy. She invites audience feedback and encourages listeners to engage with the podcast as it moves into its second season. This week, the view is from Jasmine. We want to hear from you! Email us on jasmine@viewfromherepod.com The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

    8 min

  6. 23/09/2025

    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 forward? To unpack this unprecedented event, Jasmine sat down with Nawaf Al-Thani, a retired general from the Qatari Armed Forces and former defense attaché at the Qatari Embassy in Washington, DC. They discussed how the attack resonated in Qatar, what it signals for Doha’s role as a mediator, and what broader implications it holds for U.S. policy and regional security moving forward. This week, the view is from Doha. We want to hear from you! Email us on jasmine@viewfromherepod.com The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

    54 min

  7. 16/09/2025

    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 Democrats’ shortcomings and why focusing on anti-corruption may just be the one message that unifies voters ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections. This week, the view is from Washington DC. We want to hear from you! Email us on jasmine@viewfromherepod.com The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

    46 min

  8. 09/09/2025

    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 asked them about their decision and how it’s impacted their lives, what their Israeli identity means to them, and what kind of conversations are happening inside Israel right now about the country’s future. She also asked them what messages they had for both Israeli and American/Western policymakers who have so far supported the Netanyahu government almost unconditionally. This week, the view is from Israel. We want to hear from you! Email us on jasmine@viewfromherepod.com The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

    1h 8m
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About

The View From Here is a brand-new weekly podcast hosted by former Pentagon official and foreign policy analyst Jasmine El-Gamal. Each Thursday, Jasmine connects the dots between global headlines and the human stories behind them. From war rooms to conflict zones to refugee camps, she draws on her experiences to examine how policy decisions impact real lives, uncovering the unseen costs of power. The View from Here is foreign policy, reimagined: from the people shaping it, to those it impacts. Get in touch with us with your thoughts and questions! You can find us at jasmine@viewfromherepod.com. Disclaimer: The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

Information

  • Creator
    Jasmine El-Gamal
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Jasmine El-Gamal
  • Show Website
    The View From Here
  • Provider

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