Vladimir Putin is now a partner in crime and an ostensible dear friend of Kim Jong Un as well as Xi Jinping. Each leader stands at the pinnacle of an aggressive, totalitarian dictatorship. Their governments threaten not only their immediate neighbors but the free world and global well-being. Most citizens of China, the Russian Federation, and North Korea do not or cannot challenge their rulers.
A Totalitarian Axis Is Rising
To be sure, the totalitarian axis is incipient and could splinter. China does not like Putin’s aid to North Korea’s nuclear-missile capacity. Putin resents being a vassal to a China unwilling to invest in a gas pipeline from Siberia. Xi probably wonders what happens to China if Putin loses in Ukraine.
Still, alone or together, these three regimes pose real challenges to the free world. How aggressive are they? Putin invades Ukraine and threatens all the near-abroad of the former Soviet empire. Kim Jong Un built a nuclear missile force and threatened not just South Korea but also Japan and the United States. Ignoring the international court at The Hague, China claims the entire South China Sea and uses its huge navy to push back other littoral powers. It threatens to attack the democratic republic of Taiwan–not ruled from China since the 19th century.
How dictatorial? Freedom House ranks all three regimes as “not free” with no political rights or civil liberties. All three dictators repress any rival or criticism. Putin’s regime has murdered the two leading candidates to replace him. The Kim dynasty has repressed any challenge for over seven decades.
How good for their subjects? China’s economic reforms have raised living standards for millions, but China ranks just 75th in the world on the UN Human Development Index, where Russia places 56th and North Korea is literally off the chart.
The Free World Sleepwalks Into Trouble
Faced with these dangers, much of the free world sleepwalks in a mist of wishful thinking and self-indulgent hedonism. Many free-world politicians want only to enrich themselves and their backers. If pressed to act in foreign affairs, they would follow Neville Chamberlain and try to appease any aggressor. Many free world citizens look no further than their game boards and TV screens.
Is the free world capable of resisting the totalitarians? The totalitarians have more troops and more nuclear warheads (unusable except to deter nuclear attack). China has more naval vessels than the US, but the US fleet is more powerful, with eleven large nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Russia has many submarines, but their range and reliability are uncertain.
The free world’s GDP, however, is more than double that of the totalitarians. The US, along with parts of Europe and Taiwan, leads the world in AI and most forms of high technology. China also ranks high in technology R&D, but much is derivative.
India has the world’s largest population and an improving economy but cannot be grouped with the totalitarians or the free world. Many countries in the Global South say they align with Russia or China, but their allegiance is untested, and their hard power is minimal.
The free world’s coercive power assets and persuasive power are far greater than those of the totalitarians. But the free world is short of smart power and willpower. Europeans look the other way when asked to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense. US outlays for defense are not 3% of GDP but closer to 7 percent. The total includes nuclear weapon R&D, military dimensions of outer space, satellite and other forms of intelligence gathering, veterans’ care, outlays for combat in Syria and elsewhere, interest on debt from previous defense outlays, and now—aid to Ukraine and Israel. This tabulation omits how that money could have been used for education, health, infrastructure, and other constructive pursuits.
The Free World vs. The Totalitarians: What Happens Now?
Bottom line: the United States and its partners should recognize that threats from the totalitarians must be repelled. The free world needs to build many facets of military power to convince foes that aggression would be fruitless. The free world should use its economic assets to starve the totalitarians of capital and advanced technology. The US and its partners should put their own houses in order—create vibrant democracy and social justice.
About the Author: Dr. Walter Clemens
Walter Clemens is Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, and Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Boston University. He wrote Blood Debts: What Do Putin and Xi Owe Their Victims (2023).

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