East to West | Voices of the Middle East

When They Took My Father, Everything Changed

What do you say when the regime you're negotiating with is the same regime that executed your father? In this powerful episode of East to West, host Balig Sladeen sits down with Gazelle Sharmad, a German-American freedom advocate whose father, Jamshid Sharmad, was kidnapped and executed by the Iranian regime. For Gazelle, this isn't a policy debate. It's deeply personal. She shares her family's story, reflects on what justice means after such a loss, and explains why so many Iranians believe the world continues to confuse the Iranian people with the regime that oppresses them. This is a conversation about grief, resilience, courage, and the fight for a free Iran. It is also a reminder that behind every headline are families whose lives have been forever changed.

Follow the Money: How the IRGC Makes Billions

In this hard-hitting interview, JCFA Senior Researcher Ella Rosenberg joins the studio to break down the complex web of the regime's financial survival. From the shadow fleets in the Strait of Hormuz to the dark realities of human trafficking and crypto-laundering, this conversation reveals how the IRGC maintains its grip on power despite crushing international sanctions and global pressure.

I Lived in Beirut as an Israeli: The Man Who Tried to Build Ties with Lebanon

In this new episode, Dan Catarivas, Senior Advisor on International Relations at the Manufacturers Association of Israel, reflects on his extraordinary time living and working in Beirut during the early 1980s. Speaking with host Balig Sladeen at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, he shares memories of daily life inside Israel’s liaison office in Lebanon, the unexpected relationships he built with Lebanese businessmen, and the brief moment when peace and normal relations between the two countries seemed possible.

How a Moroccan Activist Changed His Perspective

Growing up in Morocco in the 90s, Mustapha Ezzarghani, a Moroccan American peace activist describes being "fed wrong propaganda" by media outlets that glorified suicide bømbers as heroes. He opens up about a time when he wished he could be one of those "heroes" defending his religion against an "evil enemy."Everything changed when he met a Berber mother in the mountains whose daughter’s life was saved by Israeli doctors. This encounter shattered his worldview and sent him on a journey to discover the deep, 3,000-year history of Moroccan Jews and the reality of modern Israeli society.

He Helped Shape the Abraham Accords. Here's What He Thinks of Iran's War

In this episode of East to West, host Balig Sladeen sits down with Jason Greenblatt, JCFA Senior Researcher and Former Special Envoy for the Middle East under President Trump for an inside look at the recent war and what it means for the entire region. We explore how Trump's Iran strategy shifted from Maximum Pressure in the first administration to full military action today, and what drove that change. We also dig into the Strait of Hormuz crisis, was this a predictable escalation, or did it genuinely catch the US off guard? With the shadow of October 7th still looming, we ask whether a broader regional peace is even possible without resolving the Palestinian issue. And we look at how Arab countries are repositioning themselves in relation to Iran, Israel, and the United States in the aftermath of the war.