More gear, maybe more fighting?

FOR David Cameron, the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review on November 23rd was a case of grim good timing. It came ten days after the horrific shootings and bombings in Paris by Islamic State (IS) terrorists. Indeed, the prime minister announced the review’s results in Parliament just a few hours after coming back from Paris, where he pledged full support for François Hollande’s “war” against IS. His statement also came three days before he returned to the House of Commons to initiate a debate, ahead of a likely vote next week, on approving British air strikes against IS in Syria.

What recent events have shown is that global security threats remain clear and tangible. Mr Cameron embarrassingly lost a Commons vote in August 2013 to authorise the use of force against Syria, partly because the Labour opposition ambushed him but also because many in his own party had reservations. That vote explains why Britain is now in the awkward position of bombing IS in Iraq (at the invitation of the Iraqi government), but not in Syria, even though IS does not recognise the border and its main base is Raqqa in Syria.