China is making autocracy great again
This article appeared in The Chicago Tribune on September 5, 2025
This week, China marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II with a parade displaying its military might and global draw. Honored guests included a who’s who of authoritarians, from Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian to Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s junta chief. Leaders of more than 26 countries were present.
Tanks rumbled through Tiananmen Square, a location that offered a stark reminder of how authoritarian states can violently crush democratic movements. Xi was flanked by Putin and Kim, two brutal and aggressive dictators whom many nations would rather shun. The message this sent to ruthless leaders around the world was that a Chinese-led order would not judge them for their transgressions.
With most US adversaries present, this was a show of unity in opposition to America’s global leadership. Perhaps more cutting, though, was the presence of some of America’s friends, such as Vietnam. The leaders of Turkey, Egypt and India did not join the parade, but they participated enthusiastically in the summit preceding it.
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Read more of Lizzy’s work in The Chicago Tribune
Lizzy is the Acting Program Director of the Institute for Global Affairs at Eurasia Group’s Summer Geopolitics Academy.
