Authoritarian regime use them to intimidate. They use democracies to commemorate them. Military parades are both a large spectacle and a strong message.
In a few days, the streets of Washington will organize one of their own. The event is at least officially the 250th anniversary of the US Army. It is also just the case that President Trump’s 79th birthday.
The motifs of the countries that stage such parades can vary, but all events tend to have a common visual vocabulary.
Here is what to look for.
Iconic settings
From the Tianan Square to Arc de Triomphe, many military parades find against the background of the best -known sights of a country, often symbols of national identity and history. This increases the visual and emotional effect.
It can also signal that military power is deeply intertwined with the nation’s material and that a feeling of unity among its humans is reinforced.
“These locations definitely have a deep meaning: they should cause and symbolize military triumph and national sovereignty in wars and pay for enormous victims,”
Buckingham Palace, London
Kim Il Sung Square, Pyongyang
The parade in Washington on June 14th will start in the Pentagon and go to the National Mall and, according to army officers, say goodbye to Mr. Trump’s view in the Avenue constitution.
Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island, a democrat who was once chairman of the committee for armed forces, said in May, if Mr. Trump was not in power, the celebrations for the anniversary of the army would most likely be much more modest and took place in Fort Myer in Arlington, VA.
“But that’s Trump,” he said.
Strategic seats
Military parades also offer a perfect photo surgery for leaders who want to show the world who their allies are.
In Russia, President Vladimir V. Putin has long invited foreign leaders to take part in the annual Victory Day Parade in Moscow. But after Russia had entered Ukraine and the West isolated it to isolate it, Mr. Putin’s guests of honor took over the excessive importance.
“If the regime of its legitimacy, the loyalty of people and their forces is completely confident … they don’t need this type of display,” said Dr. Aron.
Mr. Putin is hardly alone in inviting foreign leaders to his parades. The goal is to project Grandeur.
“That’s why the NFL celebrates celebrities in the Super Bowl,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, Director of the East Asia -Non -Procolic Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
French guides have made an art of it. From Emmanuel Macron to Nicolas Sarkozy you often invite prominent foreign guides to your military parades – especially those who want the court.
Narendra Modi, India and Mr. Macron
Paul Biya, Cameroon and Mr. Sarkozy
Mr. Sarkozy and Hosni Mubarak, Egypt
During the first term of office of Mr. Trump, President Emmanuel Macron invited him To the Bastille Day Parade in 2017 in the hope of maintaining the dialogue after the American guide pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.
Mr. Trump returned home and felt good with the French – “He is a great guy” Parades. So good that he wanted his own, he said.
This time the Pentagon was able to dissuade him. This year is Another story.
Show the power
Military parades are primarily a power exhibition, and nobody can understand it better than North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un.
The parades there are a rare window in a well -known country and an opportunity for the regime to show opponents its most advanced weapons. For years, Mr. Kim has used her to tell the world how far his nuclear program went.
First shop window of a North Korean ICBM
Unveiling nuclear-capable underwater drones
Some experts believe that North Korea has shown trucks with empty rocket silos or non -functioning equipment. But that doesn’t really play important in the world of propaganda.
“These parades often shape fiction more than a fact,” said John Spencer, chairman of the urban warfare at the modern. “You can have outdated tanks, lower soldiers and failed logistics, but the picture is important. In fear societies, perception is in fear.”
While Mr. Kim often likes to present his latest military advances, China makes an impression with mere volume.
The National Day Parade 2019 extended the avenue for miles in front of the Tiananm. It showed more than 500 military devices, including tanks, ICBMS and hyper -sound drones.
It is an unmistakable message that is partly intended for Taiwan, for the Beijing designs and its supporters, the United States, said Scott Kennedy, senior consultant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The rest of the world, including her opponents, should flash about China’s skills,” said Kennedy.
Intimidating choreography
Formations of soldiers who march in perfect synchronization are a license plate of every military parade.
The message is not subtle: these are disciplined troops, well trained and ready to defend your home. It is proud of citizens at home; There can be a break for potential opponents abroad.
Some countries contain acrobatic services from soldiers and show special skills.
Indian soldiers who carry out stunts
French paratroopers are ready to start their performance
Many countries go to heaven for their parades and influence the crowds with tightly coordinated aircraft overpasses.
In view of the striking spectacle of air exhibitions, it is not surprising that the Pentagon can take around 50 helicopters on the Parade in Washington.
Faces of power
Sometimes it is not just a country that projects strength in a parade.
In some military parades – especially those staged by authoritarian regimes – there is a political leader in front and in the center. Parade participants carry posters, floating bodies and banners with the image of the leader. These are visual symbols of loyalty that glorify the guide and indicate that the strength of the nation is inextricably linked to the personal authority of the guide.
In contrast to some authoritarian leaders, Mr. Putin did not have his face on banners or posters during military parades. He opts for a more subtle representation of loyalty: the orange-black band.
Known as St. George Ribbon, it has long been used by war veterans, but has recently been a symbol of the support of Mr. Putin’s foreign policy – his war in Ukraine.
Lord .. Teodoro Obiang usually usually.
The government of Putin uses the Z as a symbol of war in Ukraine.
Western democracies generally avoid the glorification of their leaders. The lack of their pictures in parades means the separation of military and political power.
It remains to be seen how the parade will develop in Washington, but Mr. Kennedy from the Center for Strategic and International Studies believe that Mr. Trump could possibly look for a personal boost.
“It is possible that he hopes that people in a way tear respect for the military and his skills,” said Kennedy.
