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EXPLAINED: Rafael behr | Rare Historical Photos

From strife-torn France to the UK, rightwing populists win when they stir chaos while promising order

Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump are arsonists who play at being firefighters. Nigel Farage is finding that act harder to pull off in Andy Burnham’s Britain, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Oct 21

Brexiters can’t cope with the fact that Putin was cheering them on

Russian meddling probably didn’t affect the referendum result – but the Kremlin’s motives for wanting to undermine the EU still matter, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Oct 13

Zack Polanski had the chance to show real leadership. He blew it

A toxic debate over anti-Zionism leaves the Green leader looking like a passenger in the movement that carried him to the top, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Oct 7

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Burnham has a clear vision for Britain – but not for how it fits into a troubled world

The Labour leader has set out his plans with passion and ambition, but the story he tells lacks a vital chapter on managing global chaos, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Sep 29

It’s easy to ignore the Lib Dems, but they could soon hold the balance of power

Ed Davey’s strategy is meant to build a ‘firewall’ of MPs to prevent Reform UK entering government. The stakes are high if he gets it wrong, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Sep 23

Russians have a pragmatic approach to politics

Letter: There has never been a real rebellion for the Kremlin to squelch, writes Mergen Mongush

The Guardian - UK · Sep 22

To understand the threat to our real democracy, watch Putin’s fake one

As Russians vote this weekend, remember that Britain is not immune to the cynical tactics and corrosion of trust that keep him in power, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Sep 16

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European democracies are running out of time to turn away from the abyss

Far-right parties, Maga ideology and Kremlin money are conniving to suffocate liberal idealism for another generation, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Sep 9

Burnham’s ambitious plans need room to breathe – and Westminster suffocates change

A summer on the road suited the prime minister’s open style, but now the walls of conventional politics are closing in, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Sep 1

With no friends left to burn, Trump is running out of diplomatic ammunition

Everyone can see that the Iran war has been a strategic disaster for the US, while a failing president pretends he is winning, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Aug 26

Nigel Farage looks trapped and rattled – now the nationalist tide can be turned

There are more votes in tolerance and decency than in toxic division. It doesn’t take a great leap of political courage to fight back against Reform, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Aug 12

Democracy is at stake when foolish humans bet on machines being intelligent

We need an enlightened US president to make the case for global AI regulation. Donald Trump is the exact opposite of what is needed, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Aug 5

Suddenly the British right feels a political chill. It’s getting cold in Andy Burnham’s shadow

The Tories and Reform had it easy when Keir Starmer was self-destructing – but a new PM with ideas exposes how vacant the opposition has become, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jul 29

Our blueprint for Andy Burnham’s success

Letters: Readers advise the new prime minister and his party on how to turn Labour’s fortunes, and the country’s, around

The Guardian - UK · Jul 24

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The Guardian - UK · Jul 22

Andy Burnham is playing the long game in an age of short attention spans

It is hard to make the case for a 10-year plan in our political culture of constant campaigning frenzy – but the new PM will try, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jul 1

Andy Burnham is about to have a crash course in hardcore geopolitics

The likely next prime minister would rather be in Warrington than Washington, but foreign policy will dominate his agenda more than he thinks, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jun 26

Brexit Britain and the roots of its discontent

Letters: Readers respond to an article by Rafael Behr in which he reflects on the ‘curse of Brexit’ and the reasons for Keir Starmer’s fall

The Guardian - UK · Jun 24

Keir Starmer couldn’t beat the curse of Brexit – a politics poisoned by nationalism

The outgoing prime minister’s efforts to mobilise a healthier kind of patriotism fell flat. Andy Burnham may stand a better chance, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

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The Guardian - UK · Jun 23

‘Is rejoining the EU inevitable?’ - Rafael Behr answered your questions on Brexit and more

It’s 10 years since the Brexit vote – and it’s also another one of those weeks in British politics … you asked our political columnist questions about a Burnham government, rejoining the EU, and more – read the Q&A now

The Guardian - UK · Jun 10

Putin and Trump are both trapped in losing battles against reality

The Ukraine and Iran wars are very different, but a common authoritarian delusion unites the men who started them, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Jun 3

Andy Burnham offers Labour a refreshing new voice to reach lost voters – but with what message?

It will take more than blokeish affability to reach across the Brexit faultline that scars British politics, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 20

The balance of global power is shifting fast, but Britain is stuck in the same old Brexit rut

Without a reckoning about the epic strategic error of leaving the EU, there is no serious debate about the country’s future place in the world, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 13

Labour needs a battle of ideas now, not a scramble to snatch the keys to No 10

Removing Starmer solves the problem of an unpopular leader, but without a coherent alternative agenda his successor won’t fare much better, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · May 6

Labour’s nationwide collapse risks making Nigel Farage the face of the UK’s fragile union

Scottish and Welsh nationalism will be further radicalised if Reform UK sets the tone of debate over inclusion in the British state, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK · Apr 29

In the coming AI future, Britain must not end up at the mercy of US tech giants

Trump is volatile, capricious and unreasonable – but he belongs to the old world of analogue power. What comes next will be harder to manage, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

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