China’s Parade, Trump’s Failure the Politics of Image

Why Optics Matter in Geopolitics

The Western world seems to have forgotten the importance of optics. Western nations often project themselves through bland, understated political theatre - summits that lack pageantry, speeches without spectacle, and military displays stripped of grandeur. Part of this stems from democratic traditions that prize policy substance over symbolism, and from an ingrained discomfort with what can appear as authoritarian-style “power shows.” In many Western capitals, such displays are seen as relics of a bygone age.

By contrast, states like Russia and China, still steeped in Great Power traditions, place immense value on optics and power projection. For them, parades, summits, and grand rituals are not empty theatre but vital instruments of influence, demonstrations of legitimacy at home and strength abroad. These spectacles are designed to rally domestic audiences, intimidate adversaries, and persuade fence-sitters in the international community.

The issue for the West is that in the age of social media, optics matter more than ever. What circulates globally are the images: Xi Jinping flanked by Putin and Kim Jong-un, hypersonic missiles rolling through Tiananmen Square, dozens of leaders gathered under Beijing’s banner. When done with precision, as China’s 80th anniversary parade was, these power projections create a narrative of unity and ascendancy. In comparison, Western attempts at similar displays (whether military parades or summit gatherings) often appear modest, or even half-hearted. And in geopolitics, perception can be as consequential as reality.

Why The West Can’t Pull This Off

Democratic nations often shy away from grand displays of power because such spectacles are seen as wasteful or authoritarian in nature, clashing with values of transparency and restraint. That said, this isn’t universal across the West, it often depends on national culture. France, for example, maintains one of the largest annual military parades in the world on Bastille Day, while the U.S. and U.K. tend to favour more subdued ceremonies or symbolic flyovers rather than massed displays of firepower. Large-scale military parades or overt power shows are frequently criticised in Western societies as propaganda rather than legitimate statecraft, leading leaders to emphasise diplomacy and policy substance instead. In democracies, legitimacy is grounded in elections and institutions, not choreographed mass rituals, which helps explain the preference for modest optics over overt power projection. Public opinion in many Western states is skeptical of militarism, making it politically risky for leaders to stage the kind of displays that authoritarian governments can freely organise.

The Trump Parade

When Trump staged his military parade in June, intended to mark the U.S. Army’s long history of service, it failed by most accounts. On a practical level, it was rushed and poorly planned: soldiers marched in loose formations, boots and uniforms lacked uniformity, and the displays themselves appeared small rather than grandiose. But on a deeper level, the parade clashed with America’s political culture. Unlike France or Russia, the U.S. has never built its national identity on large-scale military spectacles. Its historical narrative is rooted in being anti-authoritarian, and in the Western imagination, parades of tanks and troops evoke the essence of militarism and authoritarianism. This isn’t just an opinion, it was proven by the large scale protests suggesting Trump’s authoritarianism on the day of and leading up to the parade in Washington. There was also backlash of $50 million dollar price tag of the parade during government cuts. This created an attempt to strike a balance, avoiding the image of an authoritarian-style military showpiece while still projecting American power and honouring the history of the U.S. Army. In the end, it achieved neither, resulting in a failure on both fronts. Trump’s attempt to import this style of politics into the U.S. felt forced, and rather than projecting strength, it revealed a weakness that rivals like China and Russia could exploit on the world stage. In contrast, Beijing’s Victory Day Parade served as a clear demonstration as a “this is how it’s done” moment.

Overall

We are not suggesting that military parades or spectacles are essential to statecraft. But their impact cannot be dismissed, especially in the age of social media where images travel faster than policy papers. When combined with the growing cultural divide between Western and non-Western values amongst civilians in Western nations, such displays become powerful tools of perception and influence. They matter not because they win wars, but because they frame narratives. And they matter even more when leaders like Trump attempt to borrow from that playbook but fail to execute, exposing the gulf between traditions of Western restraint and the authoritarian mastery of optics.

Sources: Sources available upon request!