Syria raids: Widening the war on ISIL

Is Washington and its partners being dragged into another open-ended conflict?

Almost two weeks ago, US President Barack Obama said he would target ISIL fighters wherever they are. And on early Tuesday morning, a US-led coalition expanded its campaign against the group from Iraq to Syria.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and the UAE were involved on the first day of operations – giving the US what it believes to be a level of regional legitimacy.

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But are the US and its allies being dragged into an open-ended war? And how effective will the strikes be against ISIL fighters?

Presenter:

Nick Clark

Guests:

Martin Reardon – the senior vice president of the Soufan Group.

Gareth Porter, an independent investigative journalist and a historian writing about US national security policy.

Fawaz Gerges, the chairman of contemporary Middle Eastern studies at the London School of Economics and author of The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World.