Russian president Vladimir Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Wednesday’s military parade in Beijing. Photograph: Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/AP
| Published September 5, 2025
When Beijing rolled out its largest-ever military parade this September, the world witnessed more than a celebration of past victories. The spectacle marked a bold assertion of a new power structure, one in which China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea appear increasingly comfortable presenting themselves as a counterweight to the West. With Xi Jinping flanked by Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, the parade cemented an image that many in the United States and Europe have begun calling the “Axis of Upheaval.”
A Carefully Orchestrated Message
The parade wasn’t an accidental display; it read like a polished political production designed to send multiple signals at once. Timing it right after the SCO summit, inviting a specific lineup of leaders, and programming the sequence of speeches and flyovers all worked together to create a single, clear narrative: these states can show up together on the world stage and command attention. That choreography matters — optics become policy when they reshape perceptions of strength and partnership.
Domestically, the event functioned as a reassurance to each regime’s own population and elites: it projects competence, unity, and momentum. For Beijing, it reinforced the Communist Party’s control and bolstered nationalist pride. For Putin, Kim, and Iran’s leadership, sharing that platform confers legitimacy and reduces the isolation that sanctions and criticism aim to create.
Internationally, the parade doubled as a demonstration of practical coordination — not only leaders side-by-side but also hardware, logistics, and economic messaging. The showcase of newer-generation weaponry, drones, and long-range systems performs two tasks: it signals capability to potential adversaries and it advertises interoperability and arms-industrial confidence to partners. Parallel economic signals — references to alternative financing and trade arrangements heard at the summit — reinforced that this is about more than rhetoric; it’s about building the institutional scaffolding for a different balance of power.
There’s also a clear psychological and diplomatic intent. Publicly staging these alliances tests Western resolve and international reaction: who criticizes, who looks away, who keeps trading. The inclusion of symbolic moments — family introductions, national anthems, coordinated salutes — is meant to normalize the coalition visually and emotionally, softening resistance among fence-sitting states and elite audiences abroad.
In short, the parade was spectacle with strategy baked in: a carefully rehearsed performance meant to shape both perceptions and policy options. Whether the long-term consequences match the bravado is an open question — but the immediate goal was unmistakable: to announce an alternative center of gravity in world affairs and to make that announcement hard to ignore.
A Growing Challenge to the West
What the world saw in Beijing was not just military theater — it was a warning about the direction global power is taking. For the United States and its allies, the alignment of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea poses challenges that cut across every dimension of national security.
Militarily, these regimes are already working in ways that make Western deterrence more complicated. Russia has relied on Iranian drones and missiles to sustain its war in Ukraine. North Korea has shipped artillery shells, ammunition, and even personnel to bolster Moscow’s depleted arsenal. China has not sent weapons directly but has filled the gap with semiconductors, dual-use goods, and trade deals that cushion Russia from sanctions. Each of these pieces on their own might look manageable, but together they signal a pattern: authoritarian states propping each other up to resist U.S. pressure.
Economically, the threat is just as clear. Beijing’s talk of a new SCO development bank and Xi’s pledge of billions in yuan-based grants and loans point to a deliberate effort to undermine the dollar system. If SCO members begin to settle trade in their own currencies, the West’s ability to enforce sanctions weakens. That gives bad actors more freedom to wage wars, finance terror proxies, or build nuclear programs without fear of being cut off from global markets. For Washington, this is not an abstract risk but a direct hit on one of America’s greatest sources of global power: its financial dominance.
Diplomatically, the parade and summit showed how this bloc can create political cover for each other. Putin’s isolation in the West is blunted when he appears shoulder to shoulder with Xi. Iran can claim international legitimacy simply by being treated as a respected guest. Even North Korea — long considered a rogue pariah — suddenly looks less isolated when it parades under Beijing’s spotlight. This complicates Western efforts to keep pressure on these regimes, because they now have alternative forums for recognition and legitimacy.
For the West, the challenge is not simply one of military competition but of narrative and influence. Authoritarian states are offering a package deal to the Global South: development money without lectures, infrastructure without conditions, and solidarity against what they call “Western bullying.” If Washington and its allies cannot counter that with strength and a credible vision, they risk losing not just battlegrounds in Europe or Asia but the very contest for global leadership.
America’s Response
For the United States, the images from Beijing should not be dismissed as pageantry. They are a wake-up call. The appearance of Xi, Putin, Kim, and Iran’s president standing shoulder to shoulder sends a clear signal that authoritarian powers are willing to act in concert, and America must prepare accordingly.
First, the U.S. must double down on military readiness and deterrence. Decades of budget cuts, politicized priorities, and overreliance on diplomacy have left gaps that adversaries are eager to exploit. Restoring American strength means revitalizing the defense industrial base, modernizing the Navy and Air Force, and ensuring allies in Asia and Europe know Washington will back them with hard power, not just statements of concern. The parade in Beijing was a display of weapons and resolve; America must answer with its own unmistakable show of strength.
Second, America must reclaim energy independence. The so-called “Axis of Upheaval” thrives on controlling oil, gas, and rare earth supplies. Russia uses energy exports as leverage; Iran funds its regime through oil; China dominates critical minerals. If the U.S. becomes dependent on adversaries for fuel or technology inputs, it hands them the tools of coercion. A return to robust domestic drilling, natural gas exports, and investment in critical resource mining would cut into their leverage and restore strategic freedom.
Third, Washington must strengthen alliances with democracies that face the frontlines of this new struggle. Nations like Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Poland are not just partners but essential pillars of deterrence. Extending missile defense, deepening intelligence cooperation, and reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank send a message: the free world will not be intimidated by authoritarian theater. Equally important is offering credible alternatives to developing nations tempted by Chinese money or Russian arms. Foreign aid and investment must be tied to strategic goals, rewarding those who stand with the U.S. while denying benefits to regimes that cozy up to Beijing or Moscow.
Finally, America needs to reassert clear moral and political leadership. Authoritarian powers are selling themselves as defenders of sovereignty against Western “bullying.” That narrative gains traction when U.S. leadership looks weak or divided. A strong, unapologetic defense of freedom, coupled with consistent policies, is essential to winning not only battles but hearts and minds across the globe.
The lesson of Beijing’s parade is simple: America’s adversaries are not waiting. They are moving in sync, exploiting every gap and every hesitation. The only adequate response is strength — military, economic, and moral — backed by the will to lead.
Implications
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Validation of Hardline Warnings
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The Beijing parade shows that critics of globalization and “soft diplomacy” were correct: authoritarian regimes are not interested in partnership with the West, but in building a counter-bloc.
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It validates policies that emphasize strength, deterrence, and sovereignty rather than appeasement.
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Need for Military Readiness
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With China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea openly displaying solidarity, the U.S. and allies face a serious national security threat.
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A strong military, border security, and energy independence become non-negotiable priorities to prevent being outmaneuvered.
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Economic & Energy Security
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The “axis” is pushing de-dollarization and building alternative trade systems. If the U.S. does not act, it risks losing its economic leverage.
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Expanding domestic energy production and securing supply chains is essential to avoid dependency on adversaries.
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Foreign Policy Clarity
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The West cannot afford mixed signals or “strategic patience.” The U.S. must take clear stances, strengthen alliances with democracies (Japan, South Korea, Israel, Eastern Europe), and push back on global institutions being co-opted by China.
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Warning to Neutral States
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Nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America that flirt with the SCO or BRICS alternatives may need to face tough choices—aid, trade, and defense ties with the U.S. should hinge on rejecting alignment with authoritarian regimes.
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Overall Takeaway:
The Beijing parade and the optics of Xi, Putin, Kim, and Iran’s president standing together are not a harmless show but a warning shot. It underscores that authoritarian regimes are increasingly willing to coordinate in ways that directly undermine American interests and global stability. While some Western analysts downplay this as loose cooperation, history teaches that ignoring early signs of hostile alignment can be costly. The so-called “Axis of Upheaval” may not be a formal alliance, but it represents a shared resolve to weaken U.S. influence, chip away at the dollar’s dominance, and test the resolve of free nations. The proper response is not wishful thinking or appeasement, but renewed American strength—military readiness, energy independence, and firm leadership to rally allies and deter adversaries before these challenges harden into an entrenched new order.
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