How damning is the whistleblower's Afghanistan report?

<div>A new 40-page document written by Raphael Marshall, a former desk officer at the Foreign Office, depicts a disorganised mess in the handling of this year's Afghanistan withdrawal. </div><div><br></div><div><em>'I think the picture that is painted of chaos... it raises a whole slew of questions.'</em> - James Forsyth </div><div><br></div><div>Katy Balls and James Forsyth dissect some of the key accusations in this report and give us an update on tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine and the spread of the Omicron variant. </div><div><br></div><div>Subscribe to <em>The Spectator</em>'s Evening Blend email, from Isabel Hardman and Katy Balls, for analysis of the day's political news and a summary of the best pieces from our website. Go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/sign-up-for-the-evening-blend-britain-s-no-1-politics-email-test-ro-">www.spectator.co.uk/blend</a> to sign up.</div><p>Become a <em>Spectator </em>subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/adfree</a> to find out more.</p><br><p>For more <em>Spectator</em> podcasts, go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/podcasts</a>.</p><br><p>Contact us: [email protected]</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>