THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘The Axis of Upheaval…and what it means for the West’

Xi Jinping had been waiting for the right moment to serve notice of China’s growing might and influence to the rest of the world, and the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war provided the Mao-suited Chinese leader with the perfect opportunity.

Last week’s bombastic (or should that be bomb-tastic?) military parade in Beijing – in the presence of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un and a host of other global strongmen – was intended as a show of force and stability to contrast sharply with the chaotic unpredictability of Donald Trump’s America. And, as the leaders of the world’s most notorious pariah states bear-hugged and strolled around Tiananmen Square like the cast of Reservoir Dogs, the optics did not disappoint.

But behind the scenes, how robust actually is the so-called “axis of upheaval”? As our big story this week explores, the illiberal alliance is riven by internal fractures and mistrust between China, Russia and North Korea that date back many years and cannot be discarded as quickly as Xi, or anyone else, might like.

Spotlight | France’s latest political crisis
The fall this week of prime minister François Bayrou exposed a political malaise that is likely to sour French politics well beyond the 2027 presidential election, reports Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis

Interview | Leonard Barden, chairman of the chess board
From honing his game in air raid shelters during the second world war to beating grand masters, our record-breaking chess columnist has lived an extraordinary life. Now aged 96, he chats to our chief sports reporter Sean Ingle

Feature | Syria’s cycle of sectarian violence
Over a few brutal days in March, as sectarian violence and revenge killings tore through parts of the country, two friends from different communities tried to find a way to survive. By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

Opinion | Angela Rayner’s exit is a bombshell for Keir Starmer
The UK deputy prime minister’s fall will exacerbate all the doubts about the PM himself and his ability to keep Labour in power, writes Jonathan Freedland

Culture | Spinal Tap turn it up to 11, one last time
More than 40 years since the film This Is Spinal Tap was mistaken for a comedy, its hard-rocking subjects are back for a legally obligated final gig. Our writer Michael Hann smells the glove