Afleveringen
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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. Amnesty International warns the tournament risks becoming a "stage for repression" — and ICE agents will be inside the stadiums.
What happens when the world's biggest celebration of sport collides with the politics of its host? And how much of the blame belongs to FIFA itself?
Jasmine El-Gamal speaks with Dr. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen — Middle East fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute and author of Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer — about sports diplomacy, sportswashing in reverse, and what this World Cup reveals about America's place in the world.
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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 evolving into something new? What is the difference between MAGA and America First? And what happens to conservatism after Trump?
In this episode of The View From Here, Jasmine El-Gamal speaks with Andrew Day, Senior Editor of The American Conservative, about the evolution of conservative politics in the United States, the changing Republican coalition, debates over foreign intervention, the role of Israel in Republican politics, and the future of the America First movement.
Together they explore whether Trump permanently transformed the GOP, what younger conservatives believe, why foreign policy has become a dividing line within the Republican coalition, and what the future of American conservatism may look like after the Trump era.
Please leave us a comment with your questions, and where you think our view should come from next.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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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.
Public opinion has shifted. Some candidates have shifted. But the machinery of Democratic politics — consultants, donors, party institutions, and the networks that shape power and influence — has often moved much more slowly, or not at all.
So what does political inclusion actually mean today? Who gets heard? And how do communities transform representation into real political power?
In this episode of The View From Here, Jasmine El-Gamal speaks with James Zogby — founder and president of the Arab American Institute, longtime civil rights advocate, and veteran of Democratic Party politics — about why this moment in American politics feels so potentially transformative.
They discuss Democratic Party strategy, Gaza, coalition politics, voter frustration, political machinery, and the changing relationship between identity, representation, and power in American public life.
Please leave us a comment with your questions, and where you think our view should come from next.
SUBSCRIBE:
YouTube: @viewfromherepod
Apple: https://apple.co/3O5btAE
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zqHD2tWKPGLiGMSI2do3c?si=761c1534b5dd4fa9
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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 the alternative?
To unpack this question, I spoke to Julie Siddiqi and Ibrahim Said from the UK Muslim Network.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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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: from the prices we pay at the pump and in grocery stores, to the technology we use, and even the information we consume online.
China seems increasingly confident, while the United States is entering these talks under the weight of a war in the Middle East, economic anxiety at home, and growing questions about America’s role in the world.
So what kind of relationship are these two countries, these two men, really building? Is it based on rivalry? Interdependence? Or something more complicated?
This week I spoke to Ali Wyne, Senior Research and Advocacy Advisor for U.S.-China Relations, at the international crisis group and Author of the book, “America’s Great-Power Opportunity” (Polity, 2022)
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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 would be a tough discussion. We have been in an ongoing conversation for over two years about many of the issues you will hear in this episode.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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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 Sir Richard Dalton, to get a real--and brutally honest--perspective.
We cover:
→ Is the Special Relationship with the US still intact?
→ What the King Charles state visit actually achieved
→ The UK's role in a world reshaped by Trump and the Middle East
→ What British foreign policy should look like right now
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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 that finally ended in 2005. And of course, you have longstanding Iranian influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah, the Lebanese, Islamist Shia organization that is Iran's partner and proxy in the region. And whose massive arsenal of weapons has allowed it to operate essentially as a state within a state.
All of these different factors have caused instability throughout the years in Lebanon and successive Lebanese governments have struggled to maintain a monopoly over the use of force, or to really maintain full control over their own country.
After the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel in 2023, Hezbollah fired rockets into Northern Israel, and that started a renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that's lasted until today. On April 16th, a ceasefire was brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon. Just a couple of days before that, the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington DC met for what was a historic meeting. Their second meeting in Washington is scheduled for April 23rd, and the ceasefire is meant to expire on April 26th.
Is this a moment where Lebanon could turn the page, or is it doomed to remain in endless cycles of conflict? Can it ever resolve the issue of Hezbollah's arms? Or is the state simply too weak? And what can countries do to support Lebanon?
I'm Jasmine El-Gamal, and this is the view from here where every week we take you behind the headlines and into the lives of the people living them.
To unpack all these questions this week, I spoke to Faysal Itani, a risk analyst and a Middle East expert at the Middle East Policy Council and a professor of security studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
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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 really want?
We know what the US says it wants. It wants the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and it wants Iran to vow never to seek a nuclear weapon. The Iranian side is a bit more complicated and opaque. Is it about economic issues? Is it about maintaining control of the of Hormuz? or is it about something else altogether?
I'm Jasmine El-Gamal, and this is The View From Here, where every week we take you behind the headlines and into the lives of the people living them.
This week, I spoke to Iranian analyst Hamidreza Azizi. He's a foreign policy and security expert and currently a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, working in the Africa and Middle East research division. Previously, he served as an assistant professor of regional studies at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran from 2016 to 2020. He holds a PhD in regional studies from the University of Tehran, although has not been able to return home for several years now.
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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 says that it will not go through with the negotiations as long as Israel continues to conduct these strikes. Israel and Vice President Vance are saying that Lebanon was never part of the deal. The Pakistani Prime Minister, as the mediator is saying it was. So what happens now?
I'm Jasmine El-Gamal, and this is the view from here where every week we take you behind the headlines and into the lives of the people living them.
To unpack all of this, I spoke to Israeli analyst Danny Citrinowicz. Danny spent 25 years in Israeli defense intelligence studying Iran and Hezbollah. He now works at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel.
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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?
I'm Jasmine El-Gamal, and this is the View From Here, where every week we take you behind the headlines and into the lives of the people living them.
This week, Jasmine spoke to Baraa Shiban, a Yemeni analyst who has lived with the Houthis, negotiated with them and has spent years trying to figure out exactly what makes them tick. They talked about the recent history of Yemen, how the Houthis evolved into the organization that they are right now, what they really want out of their relationships with Iran, with Hezbollah in Lebanon, how they feel about Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel and so much more.
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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 Israel, Iran, and the US. They tried to prevent the war, and now they seem to be split between whether they should go on the offensive with Israel and the US or whether they should continue to try to convince the US President to wind it down.
This week Jasmine spoke to Mohamed Baharoon, the Director General of the Dubai Public Policy Research Center about the UAE's position, whether this war has really impacted the Gulf's ability to attract investors to be a safe place for people to live and work and visit, and what options the UAE and the Gulf have moving forward. Are they doomed to be pawns in future conflicts between Israel and Iran, or between the US and Iran? Or is there something they can do to shape the future--as peacemakers?
Episode Notes:
Dubai Public Policy Research Center: https://www.bhuth.ae/en
The UAE: Principles of the 50: https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/uae-in-the-future/the-principles-of-the-50
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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, but also across the Gulf, across Lebanon and we can't see an end.
To unpack the rapidly unfolding events in the Middle East, Jasmine spoke to Iranian-American analyst Negar Mortazavi, a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington Dc and host of The Iran Podcast, and Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at J Street and former Middle East advisor to Vice President Kamal Harris. Ilan and Jasmine were also colleagues at the Pentagon during the Obama administration.
They discussed possible scenarios for ending the war, the lasting impact on the Gulf states, how Israel's upcoming elections could start a pathway towards de-escalation in the region, and as always, the human cost of the war and how Iranians have been impacted.
Negar's Podcast (The Iran Podcast): https://www.negarmortazavi.com/iran-podcast
Ilan's Substack: https://ilangoldenberg.substack.com/
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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 agreed to meet at the White House, despite the Trump administration having rescinded Petro's visa earlier.
In typical Trump fashion, once he met Petro in person, his tone completely changed. He said after the meeting, “He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted [with Petro’s comments] because I never met him. I didn’t know him at all, and we got along very well." Trump added that the meeting had been “very productive” and “fantastic”, and that they would continue working “on other issues, including sanctions”.
Petro, for his part, praised Trump. “The truth is, I like frank gringos. People who say what they feel." He also playfully added the letter S on Trump's Make America Great Again hat, to read, "Make Americas Great Again."
To dig a litte deeper into Colombia and the history of its relationship with the US, as well as its emerging relationship with China, Jasmine sat down with Colombian analyst Luis Eduardo Gutiérrez Rojas. They talked about Colombia's painful history with the drug wars, how Colombians feel about the US and Trump, the upcoming presidential elections in May and what the future might hold for Colombians.
Episode notes:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/03/colombian-president-and-trump-put-aside-insults-for-amicable-white-house-meeting
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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 significant pressure from both Israelis and Palestinians to withdraw, for different reasons. Jasmine asked Mira whether she would make the same decision today, and what has changed between now and then.
At a time when people are becoming ever more polarized, Jasmine and Mira discuss whether people with dual identities can serve as a bridge to foster more understanding--not necessarily agreement--between different sides.
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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 make up Iranian society, and what Iran's history can tell us about what might come next, including whether the Islamic Republic can survive in the long term.
The former colleagues, who worked together during the Obama administration, examine US policy in the Middle East and what lessons Trump should be learning from the Arab Spring.
Finally, Negah shares what advice she would be giving the President right now if she were still in government.
Episode Notes:
With thousands dead, the Iranian regime may survive these protests--but not in its current form, by Sanam Vakil
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/13/thousands-dead-iranian-protests-regime-saddam-hussein-iraq
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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 Venezuelans are experiencing this moment of upheaval, including the astonishing pivot of Venezuela’s leadership to acting president Delcy Rodríguez amid local disputes over her legitimacy. Báez traces the rise and evolution of Chavismo, the strains of everyday life under Maduro, and what a leadership vacuum could mean for Venezuelan society.
🌎 Regional and international implications:
Former Latin America advisor to President Obama, Ricardo Zuniga, offers a deep, critical perspective on U.S. policy, situating the January 3rd operation within the context of U.S.–Latin America relations. He assesses how recent U.S. actions reflect a departure from long-standing diplomatic norms, and what these choices portend for hemispheric stability and U.S. foreign relations.
Episode Notes:
Venezuela's Acting Dictator is Delcy Rodriguez, a Maduro Regime Ally with a History of Human Rights Violations, by César Báez: https://reason.com/2026/01/06/who-is-delcy-rodriguez-venezuelas-acting-dictator/
This is What Venezuelans Really Want, by Colette Cabriles: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/opinion/venezuela-maduro-trump-people.html
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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/
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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/
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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/
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