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 headlines.

Sasha and Jasmine spoke about the events that have shaped Putin's world view, the EU and US strategies to end the war, what the viable options are for a peaceful resolution, what China's role is in all of this. Just as importantly, Sasha explained how the war has impacted Russia domestically, including the human cost of the war, for the foreseeable future.

You can find Sasha's recent articles here:

Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/authors/alexander-gabuev

Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/stream/32a18ccd-4ac3-4c89-93eb-068c8630d99a

This week, the view is from Russia.

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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.

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 to Sudan, to explain what makes Gaza’s crisis unique: its speed, its deliberate nature, and the silence of policymakers who looked the other way. They discuss the failures of international response, the misuse of food as a weapon of war, and the urgent need for accountability and action.

This week, the view is from inside the US Government.

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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.

Correction: Ron Dermer is the Minister of Strategic Affairs, not the Interior Minister as descibed in the episode.

Resources:

1-The IPC issues its first report on Gaza, warning of potential famine in December 2023: https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Famine_Review_Report_Gaza.pdf

2-Alex's resignation letter to the head of USAID, Samantha Power, and interview on Democracy Now: https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/31/alex_smith_usaid_resignation_gaza_war

3-The Gaza Pier Project: https://www.reuters.com/world/how-bidens-gaza-pier-project-unraveled-2024-07-25/

4-Doctors Without Borders statement on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF): https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gaza-humanitarian-foundation-aid-distribution-system-must-be-dismantled

5-Letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israeli Defence Minister Yaov Gallant on aid to Gaza: https://en.majalla.com/node/322651/documents-memoirs/full-text-us-letter-israel-let-aid-gaza-or-face-consequences

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 diplomat/politician and feminist. She joined Jasmine in London to talk about life before and after the Taliban and why she will never stop speaking up for women’s rights - no matter the personal cost.

This week, the view is from Afghanistan.

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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.

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 us that Palestinians are not just numbers but a people who have suffered under the brutality of Israeli occupation for decades, and whose lives have been controlled, shaped, and cut short by that occupation well before the October 7th attacks on Israel.

He talks to Jasmine about pain, grief, resilience and what he hopes to see for Palestine in the future.

This week, the view is from Gaza.

Purchase Ahmed's book We are Not Numbers here: https://wearenotnumbers.org/buy-our-book/

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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.

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 regime in December 2024 and the beginning of Ahmed Al-Sharaa's presidency, and what the international community should be doing to support Syrians.

This week, the view is from Syria - Part Two.

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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.

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 unpack this extraordinary political shift, the role of history and trauma, and why understanding the broader context is essential to making sense of what’s happening in Syria today.

This week, the view is from Syria - Part One.

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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.

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 most dangerous places in the world.

This week, the view is from Gaza.

We want to hear from you! Email us on [email protected]

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.

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, reimagined: from the people it affects to those who shape it.

Get in touch with us with your thoughts and questions! You email us at [email protected]