This week’s episode focuses on the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and its implications for the global world order. Uzair talks to Jasmine El-Gamal to get an assessment of Israel’s campaign against Hamas, why Western leaders are out of sync with their own public opinion, and the path forward for ending this conflict.

Jasmine El-Gamal is a national security expert, political analyst and former Middle East advisor at the Pentagon. She is the founder and CEO of Mindwork Strategies, LTD, a consulting firm with a mission to help organisations craft empathy-based, culturally driven approaches to foreign policy, communications and workplace mental health. She has served throughout her 22-year career in various public and private-sector organisations covering issues related to security and international affairs. From 2008-2013, Jasmine served as a Middle East advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy.

Born in New York and raised in Egypt, Jasmine’s experiences in the aftermath of 9/11 compelled her to spend her career advancing a less militarized, more humane U.S. approach to the Middle East, first as a U.S. public servant and then as a writer, analyst and media commentator.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction

4:10 Israel’s goals and strategy

18:25 Hamas’ surrender and a ceasefire

27:20 Double standards in Washington

41:10 Building coalitions across communities

45:20 Impact on US policy

55:50 The need for patience

1:01:45 Censorship in the West

1:08:00 Reading recommendations

Reading recommendations

- Out of Place by Edward Said

- No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War by Doris Kearns Goodwin