>> from our studios in new york city, this is "charlie rose." >> as the tide turns in the fight against the islamic state, what role is iran playing? how will russia's economic decline affect putin?

bob corker of tennessee. thank you for being with us. let's start with isis. any chance the lame-duck senate will vote on authorizing that war? >> we agreed this week to have a debate. we are hoping to have witnesses come up on monday to have some classified regimes and debate the issue. there are a number of senators in the committee that one to begin weighing in. i have been talking with the white house and the state

department and believe they are not quite ready. the whole issue especially in syria is a complex one. i think general allen is doing a good job. he's beginning to piece together actions that could have a desired outcome. we are not there yet. personally i would rather take this up when they are fully ready and thought it through so the american people could understand what the outcome is. i would rather wait. i'm a minority right now. i'm thankful the chairman agreed to at least lay it out the way they did. it's not going to make it on the senate floor, but in the committee, it's likely will have a markup. >> the secretary of state said we have weakened the islamic state and have them on the run. do you agree? >> i don't think there is any doubt their operating in a different way. no longer are they patrolling with large caravans. there are offering -- operating at different times.

they still are involved deeply in urban areas. we haven't yet done the things that is necessary to take them to the state that we wish to take them. you have got al hunt different -- two different arenas. iraq is easier to piece together. in syria you have all kind of competing ventures. -- interests. we have allies in the region who are beginning to talk about the fact that we should align ourselves with assad. >> should we consider that? >> of other allies that believe the only focus should be in the other direction. we obviously let this get into a situation that is more complex than it should have. again, as general allen works

through with allies, there are people that want to work with turkey. he is working on an alliance. there's a no-fly zone over a portion of aleppo. allies who say we should be working with turkey that way. turkey is really a friend of isis. i'm not saying that. i'm repeating. >> you say there are people who say we ought to consider some kind of an arrangement with assad. what is your view? do you think we will not get rid of him? >> let's face it. we have sometimes different points of views. we really propped assad up. he has been reelected this last summer for a five-year term. working with him on chemical

weapons really established him. i don't want to go to a place we should be working with a side. my only point in raising that is certainly among the neighbors there is beginning to be a big split in how we approach syria. those of the things we need to figure out. there is an arab face on this. right now obviously we are viewed as taking away time. hopefully our actions -- trying to read syria of -- rid syria of isis. >> airstrikes against isis last week. they played a role in stopping isis from going to baghdad.

good or bad? >> it is interesting. in iraq, we would perceive we have some interest. they certainly are opposing isis inside iraq. on the other hand, they have concerns about us having alignments with the sunni population. in syria, they are working against us. they support hezbollah. hezbollah has been helping the regime. the regime is killing the moderate opposition. and we are having training sites throughout the region to train more moderate syrian rebels to help us. at the same time through hezbollah, iran is killing them. >> leads to the question of nuclear talks with iran.

you have talked in the past about the imposing sanctions. the talks have been extended for another several months. >> you know, we had a great hearing yesterday. we had private witnesses. i'm getting ready to leave in a few months to a briefing where we are going to have a classified input. we had some private witnesses. i think everyone with the iran issue that i know of and highly involved, i think people are searching for the appropriate outcome. legitimate concerns on both sides of the aisle on where the administration started. people are tend to figure out what is the best way to help get this to a place we all would feel comfortable with? trying to understand the dynamics of the association of home that congress could play is

what we're going to be looking at. i've tried to work in every way i can. i think we all understand when you are in the majority and have passed on the other side of the aisle, you want good things for the nation. you have the potential of passing real legislation. i think there will be genuine search to figure out the best way congress good play a role. >> am i reading too much? what i hear you saying is we are not sure right now. we'll take a look at the idea. let's see how things develop. >> i'm a cosponsor on the menendez bill that establishes new sanctions. it has been difficult to understand how that is problematic in the negotiations to say we're not imposing sanctions now.

it we go down this route and the deal breaks apart, it is difficult to understand how that is problematic. >> that will give hardliners a chance to walk out. others won't go along. >> the task is to figure out whether that statement is in fact real or not. the hardliners inside iran certainly play a role. i really do believe in negotiators believe congress has thus far been constructive. they sometimes don't like the input, but when they get to the negotiating table, they talk with officials.

we've got folks back home that have dismantled -- tremendous distrust and are concerned. the art of this is figuring out an appropriate way for congress to weigh in. at the same time, there is concern administration wants a deal. some would say really wants a deal may be at the expense of something that causes us to be in a sound position relative to iran. i think there is a role that could be played. that is what we will be seeking out. >> the house intelligence committee issued yet another report on benghazi. should the next congress continue to find out what

happened in benghazi? or do we know enough now? >> the intelligence committee has issued a report. i think the armed services committee has issued a report. i think the focus has swung around to the state department, which is the area -- i had a discussion the last couple of days. this issue has come up. there are some who are talking about a select committee. i'm still looking at that and try to discern what is best. i have to tell you -- i think the thing that is true -- there were security lapses. there were cables from our

ambassador seeking additional security. there is to legitimate concern. how could this have occurred? how could missions like this that we know aren't safe, how could this be overlooked? there are many issues of people saying this was about budget. that drives me crazy. the defense department was supplying people for free to the state department and pulled them away before the september 11 event. i'm not the kind of guy -- we have conversations all the time -- and not the kind of person who would want to go on a witch hunt. that's not who i am.

we are looking at it. return to figure out what is best. >> i'll ask the overarching question of libya. what lessons have you learned from that adventure in libya? >> i think you hearken back to -- you break it, you own it. we did such a light thing. we never owned it. we just broke in. it is sad. i think if you're going to go in to a nation like this, i don't think we should. i didn't understand what our national interests were there. i thought the legal argument that was forth by the state department was incredibly weak. i think our desire for these countries to spring from

nowhere, i think we have learned that it doesn't exist. >> that is the lesson from iraq? >> that is the lesson. the way we wish things to be is not the way that it is. we have learned a great deal from iraq and libya. let me turn to russia. the ruble is plummeting. the pipeline had to be canceled. the economy is going into a recession. oil prices are dropping. is this going to make putin moderate, aggressive, or go the

other way? >> i think it's going to be more aggressive. the speech he gave this week was more strident than any talks he has given. that is why i was so concerned when he had troops on the border. he had not yet gone into eastern ukraine. i felt that was a time if he didn't pull away -- we kind of fiddled around with it and tweak a few oligarchs who won't receive complaints well. we let it fester. now he is on this horse that is difficult to get off. his popularity has risen tremendously. people understand there are deep long-term problems there. we all know this. what do we fear about countries

that have military deep abilities? when they become weak inside, they create issues on the outside. i think that is the trap that putin finds himself in. >> what are the options? tell businesses, if you do business in russia, you won't do business here? >> there is no question in my mind that we need to continue to ratchet up the pressure. one of the pressure points -- i think we ratcheted it up. we get to that point, that would be devastating. continue to work with europe is important. do things to strengthen ukraine itself. i have been despond didn't over the fact when we had -- despond it over the fact when we had intelligence when we knew what was happening with the russian

troops and the rebels they were supporting, we were afraid to appear operational. i felt we should do something as appropriate, as that ukrainians are able to take it. will they ever fend off russia? no. that we should be raising the price inside ukraine while continuing to infect greater pain. we have got a lot of companies in this country that don't want to see that happen. our national interests, i'm sorry, will always trump commercial interests. this is very important. this is something that cannot

continue in the way that it is. >> let me get your overall assessment of the obama administration foreign-policy and the role of secretary of state john kerry. >> i don't know if republican who has spent more time trying to work with the white house to solve problems in a sincere way. there are others who have -- i have been disappointed. our worst moment was two augusts ago. it was a terrible moment to me in u.s. on policy. it we had time i could share the fact that they watched on cnn people who would join us in that effort watched on cnn -- did not get a call from the president, did not get a call from the pentagon -- it has hurt our credibility. a learning moment for putin. i'm very disappointed in the foreign-policy that has been put forth by this administration.

kerry, i have to give him credit. he tries to throw himself into every issue. when you love a guy who wants to solve all the problems in the world in a short amount of time, sometimes he views the world he wishes it was. maybe he would be better served by prioritizing. he spends his time traveling back and forth. i have to give him an a for effort.

you don't hear what happens in debate internally. based on the insight i'm able to get through conversations, i think the biggest deterrent to the president making decisions, the debate, the debate, the biggest reason is the president himself. i do think that we have to think a little bit about the people around them. are they providing with clarity decision points? are they giving the background? is there something amiss around him that exacerbates the tendency to put off? i do see john. i watched john. i see his public comments. in fairness, i think it is

unfortunate away the white house has concentrated. it seems every four years it gets worse and worse. it is so concentrated in the white house. >> are you comfortable with the foreign-policy views of senator rand paul? >> rand today or this week, we had a debate. i actually enjoy hearing the different points of view. for that reason, i was going to table an amendment he was offering. the richness of our nation is the fact that we had this representative government that allows people to make these issues fully. we are in a different place. it's always with interest i hear his right of view.

>> you will be central to these debates. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> will be back in a moment. >> andrew roberts is here. he is a historian and an author of the selling books. his latest is about the free of the great general napoleon bonaparte. it is called "napolean: a life." a series based on this book will air 2015. i'm pleased to welcome him back. congratulations on the grand prix. >> thank you. >> why do we need another biography of napoleon? you probably know how many there have been. >> yes. there are more books with napoleon in the title since his

death. a complete set of volumes, at 33,000 letters that napoleon signed in his lifetime. we have them all together chronologically. they are able to see the way this man's mind worked. >> eloquent letters? >> yes. >> and letters to josephine? >> sexy and erotic at times. [laughter] they are immensely precise. he's planes what he wants. he had this capacity to write orders of the day and proclamations to his troops. .proclamations to his troops. these are moving.

>> what surprised you most about him? >> his sense of humor. i wasn't expecting to find such a funny man. there are many gags. he is constantly making jokes that are still funny 200 years later. >> he understood what best? >> people. war certainly. i went to 53 of his 60 battlefields. one could immediately see the way his genius worked when you see the battle he was fighting. it was his appreciation of how to infuse people in his natural secrets of leadership. that was most impressive.

>> was he -- where do you put him in the history of warfare? >> right at the top, of course. he would know whether he was in charge of tanks. he won 43 his 60 battles. >> waterloo did not work well. >> no. >> should never have gone into russia. >> should never have gone into russia. it wasn't some kind of ancient greek to do with nemesis following hebrew spirit he had an army twice the size of the russians. he had beaten the russians twice before. he had no idea he would kill so many of his men. he gave himself enough time to get back. he made one tragic error after that battle.

>> why did he do that? >> because he fought this inconclusive battle. he thought the russian battle was on the other side of the hill. it is impossible for him. he could have pulled it off. >> you compared him to caesar. you also compare him to george washington. >> that's right. caesar was his own personal hero. he wrote a book about caesar. it doesn't break new ground, but it shows his immense reading. >> was the idea -- church hill was an eloquent writer. made a living as a writer as you do. but napoleon didn't do that. any of that. >> he wrote and he had nothing else to do. history isn't always written by the victors.

he had lost, but his book came the bestseller of the 19th century. >> in the world? >> even more than "uncle tom's cabin." he managed to write. >> when he had time, he wrote. >> yes. as well as being a soldier and father of his country, he also had to be the diplomat. wrote constitutions like madison. be the philosopher. rabble-rousers like john adams. a wordsmith like jefferson. was all of the founding fathers as it were rolled into one. he found a country that was a failed state.

he left it six years later. >> how extraordinary is his comeback? >> not a shot was fired in anger. he sat down and ate the dinner that louis the 18th had cooked for him only three weeks later. >> wow. when you look at his relationship to women and josephine -- >> it's not the love of romeo and juliet love story at all. she was unfaithful to him within weeks of their marriage. he went off on campaign. she jumped into bed with somebody. he had all the charm of a week makers assistant.

[laughter] when napoleon found out two years later, he marched on the first of his love affairs with mistresses. >> he did that in response? >> he did that in response. he went back to josephine. it is a much more interesting, human love story than the romeo and juliet one. >> how do you assess his mind? >> compartmentalization. at the same time of writing a long letter of how the army had to be moved right away across europe for a campaign, also wrote a prefect. you must stop taking his mistresses to the opera.

>> a level of involvement his soldiers' lives. >> one of the most horrific battles in history -- crashed into an area of ground. killing or wounding everyone on board. yet the night before, he was able to sit down and write the rules. >> how is your book different? you have suggested to biographers do not idolize your subject. >> i criticize and seriously for war crimes. he basically -- 3000 had been captured in an earlier battle. they promise to give them parole if they didn't fight against the french.

they did. he had them all executed. it is a war crime under any sort of moral basis. >> who have a great sense of the history of his time, where do they place him? >> many of them think, especially those who see things through the lens of the second world war, they see him as another [indiscernible] he was a dictator and try to invade russia and britain. >> why did he do that? what did he see his role in the world? run the world?

>> to extend the enlightenment. he was a figure who believed in quality. the values that he extended. he extended them as far as he could. that doesn't make him adolf hitler. >> not by a longshot. do you ascribe to him the reason he was imperialistic because he had some conviction he was given birth to values that went beyond his own ego? >> and beyond the borders of france. it had to be extended. he was the enlightenment.

>> was he an intellectual? >> certainly. he was really interested in the thoughts underpinning the enlightenment. he was appreciated by other great intellectuals of the day. a proper, bona fide intellectual. also a creator. he was a builder. 42 legal codes into one. created the peaceful parts of paris we love so much. the education process. very important. >> when you talk about him and his leadership because you are a brit, how do you compare him to churchill? >> churchill admired him enormously. >> churchill desperately wanted to be a man of match in.

>> he did it when he had the chance to become he marched in the last great calvary charge. he never commanded an army. always wanted to. he admired napoleon. >> global issues? >> he does personify leadership. he was able to master his own emotions. he was also a fantastic organizer of his time. he would have newspapers write to him in the bath. >> did he have great dinner parties?

>> can you imagine? all the wine and food you can have? a fantastic life. he also appreciated the power that luck played in his life. he was 20 when the french revolution broke out. he was able to become a general at the age of 24. he deserved it. he won a battle brilliantly. >> his ego. describe it. monumental? >> no. it was as much as it deserved to

be. he was quite clearly the best soldier in france. he was the man who managed to turn a failed state into a successful state. this did give him a strong self belief. he had won all these battles. i don't think he had a napoleon complex. [laughter] napoleon doesn't have a napoleon complex. i'm not saying there isn't such a thing. there is. >> human a small man idea. >> he was 5'6". that is my height. [laughter] winston churchill was 5'6" inches. >> what are you saying? 5'6" is great? [laughter] >> when no one was looking, i lay down on his deathbed. i fit perfectly. unless you think i am a midget

-- the reason people think he was was because of the british caricatures. these wonderful caricatures all making out to be small. >> vanity? >> a huge amount. by the time he got obesely fat when he was 41 -- >> really? >> unfortunately. i don't know how. this was also when he was having problems with the system. trying to close down british trade.

he got fat. he hid all the beautiful statues made of him as a young, beautiful man. he had them boxed up and hidden because he didn't want to be ridiculed. >> there are some question of his death. >> there has been for so long. >> there is no controversy? no serious person has gone for it? >> there was an autopsy with doctors present. they pulled his stomach out. there's no part riddled with cancer. it was in the family. >> what do you think he was proudest of? >> he said, the achievement of my battles have been wiped out, which they had been by the time he died. but the code a napoleon will stand the test of time.

and it has. the state of louisiana has the napoleon code. >> it does. >> it replaced 42 legal codes. many of them contradictory. that was the thing. that and the education system. >> how long was he in exile? >> 5.5 years. >> what was it like? >> terrible. a tiny island.

a spec. for this energetic figure to be stuck on this tiny island -- >> with no information? >> the government official wouldn't let him have newspapers. he didn't know what was going on. the whole place was up in the clouds. everybody had bronchitis. it was a dreadful way to end his life. >> he wrote. >> he wrote the books. he met interesting persons that came off the boats. they will come and meet with napoleon.

>> he would look forward to the boats. >> they would bring him news. people him back from china, for example, would spend hours talking to napoleon about the politics of china and the society of china. he was a brain and fascinated by that. >> how is he in terms of women? generally in terms of what women meant to him. >> he loved josephine. he was also in love with his second wife mary louise until she was unfaithful to him as well. >> women were unfaithful to this great man. >> and her case she was 18 when she married him in his 40's. when he fell, they brought in this handsome, one eyed calvary colonel who swept her off her feet. otherwise, he never allowed women to have power in france.

he thought that is where they went wrong. allowing their mistresses to have power. >> do you collect napolitano? [laughter] >> i do. not the hat. one of 17 hats he owned. >> who bought it? >> a south korean business man. it shows universal interest napoleon has. but also the amount of money people are willing to pay. >> what is the best movie about napoleon?

a feature film. >> i asked martin scorsese that. he said there had it been a good one since 1927. we need a tv series. also he could grow up. >> we really do want to see and capture the sense of him from some of the best actors we have. >> yes. i don't know who would play him. >> thank you for coming.

for those of us to love biographies and understanding people who have shaped our world's, this is the kind of book that will give you insight into him. love or hate him, you could not deny his impact. >> thank you. >> the book is called "napolean: a life." by andrew roberts. back in a moment. stay with us. >> robin wright is here.

>> robin wright is here. she just returned from her reporting trip to the syrian border for the new yorker magazine. her article is called "the vortex: a turkish city on the frontier of syria's war." i'm pleased to have robin wright back at this table. welcome. >> always great to be here. >> tell me why this town is significant. >> and it is a frontier in turkey toward the syrian border. everything whether american aid -- it reflects challenges the international community faces in trying to deal with one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies since world war ii, but also what is a multifaceted war.

one is between isis and the rebels. this multifaceted war plays out. all have headquarters trying to find a way to deal with this. where the free syrian army has offices. >> where do you put -- on this? >> are more than 1000 different rebel groups now fighting in syria. the largest number of them are in the various levels. they span the gamut. the majority are moderate, secular. their growing sectors that are with al qaeda affliate in syria. there are other islamist groups as well. the real challenge in helping the syrian rebels is the fact they are being outnumbered by the islamists. this is the most complex war in the middle east in a century.

the largest number of them are in the various levels. they span the gamut. the majority are moderate, secular. their growing sectors that are with al qaeda affliate in syria. there are other islamist groups as well. the real challenge in helping the syrian rebels is the fact they are being outnumbered by the islamists. this is the most complex war in the middle east in a century.

>> do they have enough people considered moderates to build soldiers on the ground to combat isis? >> they are probably down to somewhere between 30 and 50,000. the free syrian army doesn't exist as one entity. it doesn't have one commander. it doesn't have one set of strategies. it'll ordinate with each other. in trying to find a force that could fight isis or the government in damascus, the challenge is finding the number of fighters. a lot of them feel whether it is disillusioned with outside world from an looking at isis and not their work, not helping them with weaponry or training, i was struck in talking to a lot of the refugees and asking, why aren't you inside syria? they were tired of the war. expected it to have happened much faster than it did. >> would it have been faster if the u.s. and other countries supported them early? >> not convinced arming would have produced isis faster

reaction to u.s. intervention. >> would it have been faster if the u.s. and other countries supported them early? >> not convinced arming would have produced isis faster reaction to u.s. intervention. >> how is it going to turn out in kobani? >> it is a small town. the kurdish that is fighting there still holds only half the town. >> what is necessary to force them out? >> whether it is better arms for the kurds or more forces -- the turks are positioned along that border. m-60 tanks overlooking kobani.

the turks have opted not to get involved in helping. they say outside world she refocused on the other war against the assad. they don't want to help with isis. >> when we attack from the air or other sources, does that

benefit assad? >> to some degree it does. it diverts attention. assad has been able to get away with dropping deadly bombs on aleppo. they get away with his own aggression. in some ways it has helped him militarily. if it was just a war, the world would pay more attention. >> what are the options for this administration as it looks at syria, looks at iraq, and tries to ascertain how to fight isis? and be true to its commitment to regime change in syria? how do they balance that? fight two wars at the same time? >> i think that is exactly what

they are trying to do. focused largely on iraq. trying to regain territory with help from u.s. air power. after that is achieved, once isis is forced back into syria, held the rebels become strong enough so they could put pressure on isis and the assad regime. iraq is possible to make headway. i find it difficult to see any viable solution anytime soon. even if the rebels were to to win, the danger is a warlordism is so entrenched elite have a civil war play out in syria

after that. i fear syria could be a longer war than iraq. >> thank you. thank you for joining us. see you next time. ♪

>> live from pier three in san francisco, this is "bloomberg west." i am emily chang. here is a check of your top headlines. november was a huge month for the u.s. labor market. the country at a hundred 21,000 jobs. the biggest monthly gain in nearly three years. matthew ferguson is the ceo of career builder -- >> i think overall, it's a strong report and i don't think is just one month. it may be higher than where we are running. i think it shows the labor market continues to improve and that will continue into 2015. >> the unemployment rate held steady a8%