Is bombing Isis having any effect on destroying it? In the latest View from 22 podcast, Andrew J. Bacevich and Con Coughlin discuss this week’s Spectator cover feature on the West’s war with Islamist extremists and the regional disorder it has led to. What lessons, if any, can be taken from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts? Should France, the U.S. and Britain consider deploying troops? And is Barack Obama proving to be a poor leader in the fight against Isis?
James Forsyth, Isabel Hardman and Fraser Nelson also discuss George Osborne’s latest Autumn Statement and the results of the 2015 Spending Review. How significant were the announcements on scrapping tax credit cuts and protecting police budgets for Osborne’s career prospect? Is the Chancellor making any progress on improving the public finances?
We also discuss David Cameron’s impending statement to the Hosue of Commons on bombing Syria and whether the government will be putting it to a vote in the near future. Is the mood in the Parliamentary Labour Party shifting towards supporting the Prime Minister instead of Jeremy Corbyn? And what is the potential timetable for a vote in the Commons?
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