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.

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.

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