VIJAY PRASHAD looks at the web of militias and drug-trafficking gangs that emerged in the Sweida region through the Syrian civil war, and how they relate to recent clashes and Israel’s intervention

AT the time of writing the outcome of the Brexit negotiations is unclear. Either both sides are maintaining unusually tight security around the content of the talks, or perhaps even the principals do not know what the final destination will be.
But if we take a step back and rather than focus on forecasts of the Brexit negotiations and their impact, we look to what the Tories are currently doing, a clearer picture should emerge.
Governments always aim to align domestic and foreign policy around complementary aims. A failure to maintain that alignment can rapidly lead to a failure of government. Therefore, we should judge what the overall aims of this government not by rows about future fish quotas, but instead by what it is actually doing here and now.

Our Foreign Secretary now condemns Israel in the Commons, yet Britain still supplies weapons and intelligence for its bombing campaigns — as the horror reaches perhaps the final stage, action must finally replace words, writes DIANE ABBOTT MP

The BBC and OBR claim that failing to cut disability benefits could ‘destabilise the economy’ while ignoring the spendthrift approach to tens of billions on military spending that really spirals out of control, argues DIANE ABBOTT MP

Europe is acquiescing in Trump’s manoeuvrings — where Europe takes over the US forever war in Ukraine while Washington gets ready for a future fight with China. And it’s working people who will be left paying the price, says DIANE ABBOTT MP

DIANE ABBOTT MP argues that Labour’s proposals contained in the recent white paper won’t actually bring down immigration numbers or win support from Reform voters — but they will succeed in making politics more nasty and poisonous