Dawn
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16:22 Jun 14, 2025
MILITARY parades are not uncommon in many parts of the world. Lines of tanks, contingents of marching soldiers, missiles, along with fighter jets and helicopters flying overhead, create just the sort of martial theatre that makes watching crowds feel nationalistic and strong. When the fates of leaders and their armies rely on such a spectacle, it follows that they are not infrequent. This is not the case in the US, at least not until now. Since the end of the Cold War, America has projected itself as the world’s diplomat. Even as it has waged wars all over the world, the domestic population remains largely disconnected from the military and its hardware. It may also be the case that when you know you are the superpower and have the deadliest weapons in the world, you need not show them off. It would not be incorrect to say that American projections of power have not been parades but actual decades of wars and occupations. This is about to change. On Saturday, a military parade is supposed to take place in Was...