A Good Week for the Axis of Authoritarians

Xi’s Parade of Power, Trump’s Retreat, and Western Drift

This week, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China hosted a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), followed by a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The gathering brought together leaders from SCO member states, observers, and partners. According to Beijing and Moscow, the SCO is one of several groupings poised to serve as an alternative to the Western-led institutions that have underpinned the postwar order. In reality, it remains a club of authoritarians, ringed by states that are either illiberal or “authoritarian-curious.”

The timing of these events is telling. The SCO summit and military spectacle coincided with Donald Trump’s continued abandonment of democratic norms and U.S. leadership in sustaining a rules-based international order. As the West drifts and the postwar system shows signs of exhaustion, the authoritarian bloc seeks to project strength by embracing a “might makes right” philosophy.

Through the summi…