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EXPLAINED: Rafael behr | Rare Historical Photos

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

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

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

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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

The Guardian - UK

‘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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

The Guardian - UK

The rush to appease Trump led Keir Starmer into this ethical void

Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

The Brexit delusion is dead – so now Keir Starmer doesn’t need to pretend any more

To rebuild relations with Europe in a dangerous world, the prime minister needs to win big arguments, not hide behind outdated red lines, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Europe cannot bet on a post-Trump US turning back to sanity

If the president’s first term didn’t inoculate the American body politic against tyranny, there is no guarantee that a second dose will work, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

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The Guardian - UK

Trump is being schooled on the limits of US power – but he is a slow learner

Last year it was China’s answer to tariffs, now it’s Iran’s retaliation to airstrikes – ‘America First’ keeps foundering on global economics, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Trump’s ego-trip war has collided with economic reality but he can’t undo the damage

The US president’s doctrine of lawless military adventures harms American interests and boosts Vladimir Putin, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Starmer’s position on Iran pleases no one, but that is because there are no good options

None of the prime minister’s critics engages with the hard strategic dilemmas arising from Britain’s perilous dependency on US power, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

From Trump’s Maga to Farage’s Reform, they’re all following Putin’s nationalism playbook

Reform is promising a ‘patriotic school curriculum’ – but what does that mean? In the end it comes down to submission to the leader, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

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The Guardian - UK

Keir Starmer is the bandage that Labour can’t rip off for fear of opening old wounds

The party’s MPs know their leader is failing but they are paralysed by fear of a contest with no obvious successor, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

When Maga oligarchs control the platforms, it isn’t really a debate about ‘free speech’

Moves to ban under-16s from social media should raise deeper questions about who controls democracy’s digital infrastructure, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

From the Burnham row to the China visit, avoiding hard choices is the Starmer doctrine

Whether at home or abroad, the pattern of ducking difficult arguments and calling it pragmatism is the same, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Donald Trump is not forgetting America’s old alliances – his goal is to destroy them

European leaders who know their continent’s history must now see that the US president is siding with the forces of tyranny, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Labour and the Tories are banking on a return to the ‘old normal’. That’s not what voters want

An economic recovery could still change the parties’ fortunes. But the days when only two parties were licensed to supply Britain with prime ministers are gone, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

Is Starmer’s reluctance to criticise Trump smart tactics – or the sign of a man without a plan?

The PM won’t call out Trump over Venezuela, and won’t commit to Europe. His refusal to choose leaves vital choices for Britain to be made by others, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

The Guardian - UK

We must take control of AI now, before it’s too late

Letters: Anja Cradden proposes ways of managing tech companies before we reach crisis point. Plus letters from Mike Scott and Gerry Rees

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