Peace and war, conflict and resolution: these are age-old themes that weave their way through the pages of many editions of the Guardian Weekly. This issue is no exception.
On the front page we analyse the potential for serious conflict between the US and China. Guardian assistant editor Simon Tisdall contends in this comprehensive piece that the two juggernauts are on a collision course. He weighs up the potential consequences.
Inside the newspaper, we dissect the spiral of violence in Syria, where the most recent ceasefire deal has failed in catastrophic and heartbreaking fashion.
And we take a grateful moment to rejoice over peace in Colombia, where an agreement more than four years in the making has ended 52 years of bloodshed.
It was an eventful week in the political sphere, as well.
We report on the resounding victory by Britain’s Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour party’s leadership race, a result he described as a personal “vindication”. As a turbulent summer for the Labour party draws to an end, we package this news with commentary from a thoughtful Gary Younge, who says the party must try and bridge its great philosophical divide.
In US politics, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump sparred in the first of three presidential debates before the 8 November election. Who came out ahead? Washington correspondent David Smith provides analysis. If you can’t wait for the Weekly’s take, there’s comprehensive coverage of the US election at theguardian.com/us-news, which you can also access by clicking here.
Shifting from our coverage to your feedback, readers have, from time to time, asked me how to get a letter published on the Weekly’s Reply page. With a newsy autumn ahead, it seems a good time to provide some tips! Foremost, write on something we’ve actually covered in the Weekly. Present a well-reasoned position or opinion, and be concise. Also ensure you’ve provided details such as name and address. We love to receive your letters, so please don’t be shy. You can send something along for publication to weekly.letters@theguardian.com.
Back with the edition, our deeper-read Review section has a super offering. I especially enjoyed news editing the opening article on Vatican City, with its many wonderful images. There’s a fabulous photo gallery online, which you can access by clicking here.
We bring reportage from Iran, where tourism is on the upswing, and from Fez, Morocco, where a ninth-century centre for learning has been renewed.
Elsewhere, Discovery asks if a pill can cure alcoholism. The Books pages consider diaspora, cyber surveillance and ... the game of cricket. Now that’s some kind of combo!
San Francisco in the sixties features large on the Culture pages, along with reviews of film, theatre and dance. In a reflective mood, our back page of commentary from Guardian leader and feature writer Anne Perkins laments the decline of hitchhiking.
I harbour a suspicion that many of our readers have been on the giving and receiving end of a hitch. And I wonder how many of you were in San Francisco in the Summer of Love!
We have a wonderful community here at the Weekly, with readers in more than 170 countries. Meet some of them on our community map, which you can find here.
Conflict and strife can often dominate. We aim to balance that with resolution (where we can), challenging commentary and vibrant feature writing. How did we do this week? Drop me a line about the editorial content by clicking here. We value your perspectives.
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