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
A clarion call to end imperialism and change the world
We must ensure Britain becomes a force for peace by electing a Labour government, says CHRIS WILLIAMSON

A CLARION call will ring through Bloomsbury’s Central Baptist Church today. Its echoes will carry a message of peace and hope — and a warning to the left.
Stalwarts of our anti-war movement such as Tariq Ali and Lindsey German will gather with US activists like Codepink’s Medea Benjamin and pioneers of the left’s new media, in a counter-summit to the Nato meeting being held in London next week.
This clarion call will remind us how much there is left to do if we are to truly change Britain and the world.
More from this author

Arguing that the war has always been a proxy war between Nato and Russia, CHRIS WILLIAMSON argues that opposing the US-led imperialist alliance is key to avoiding a global conflagration

Announcing his intention to join the rival Socialist Labour Party established by Arthur Scargill in 1996, CHRIS WILLIAMSON argues that the time is now right to advocate a mass vote for parties that run against Starmer's Labour from the left

Questions remain unanswered over the government-funded Integrity Initiative. What have ministers got to hide, asks CHRIS WILLIAMSON

Of all the mainstream media, it is the institution priding itself on its liberal values and progressive heritage that has carried the worst betrayal against the whistleblower of the century. It must listen to our protests now — before it is too late, writes CHRIS WILLIAMSON