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 summit and parade, Xi showcased China’s technological advances and political reach while reinforcing his “limitless” partnership with Russia. Much of this performance, however, was theater. Russia’s military power has been exposed as brittle, North Korea remains a nuclear-armed hermit kingdom, and China’s economic trajectory looks increasingly uncertain. The real danger lies not in their supposed strength but in the vacuum of American leadership. Under Trump, Washington appears unwilling - or unable - to rally the democratic world against the axis of authoritarianism. The United States remains the most powerful political, military, and economic force, but its ability to shape global affairs will shrink as challengers gain ground.
There is one silver lining. Alarm over Trump’s unpredictability and unreliability has galvanized America’s allies to take security more seriously. All NATO members are now on track to surpass the recommended figure of 2% of GDP for defense spending, and several are aiming for 3 percent or more. Democratic partners in Asia are showing similar resolve. Yet Europe’s persistent financial troubles may make sustaining this momentum difficult.
Taken together, this week offered ominous signs of authoritarian ascent. Xi Jinping’s parade of power was largely a pageant, but without U.S. resolve to counter it, even theater becomes dangerous. The democratic world risks ceding ground to a rival model eager to fill the void.
Trump et al aren’t unable or unwilling to counter authoritarianism, they fully agree with it. If they have their way - and we have 3 more years to go inside this nightmare - every country will fall to authoritarianism.
I just read an article about how MAGA is now openly, even proudly, trying to rehabilitate Hitler. I’ve seen several articles touting his “accomplishments”. One of Tucker Carlson’s recent guests - an MAGA influencer - actually said “we (the US) should have supported Hitler and Stalin”. Yes, Carlson is a far-right MAGA cultist. But so are at least 70 million others in this country. What was the Democrat’s response? So far, crickets. When Schumer and Jeffries speak up, if they do, it’ll be another paragraph of spineless doublespeak.
I imagine what angered Trump the most was Jinping’s spectacular military parade compared to his own, lackluster and sloppy. Although it was only theater, the display in Beijing was magnificent, unlike Trump’s show in Washington D.C.