ABSTRACT

President Trump and Prime Minister Modi often invoked their two nation’s claims as “oldest and largest” democracies to trumpet the naturalness of the US-India alliance. Shared democratic values was the glue that supposedly bound the two countries together. This contribution argues that the cynical and opportunistic invocation of democratic values by both governments damaged the cause of democracy globally. Both have attacked the independence of the press, civil society, and judiciary; and democratic backsliding and religious intolerance has worsened in both countries. The legitimacy of America’s democratic credentials, already battered by Trump, is irreparably tainted by its embrace of Modi’s India. The victim of this illiberal consensus is democracy internationally.

摘要

特朗普总统和莫迪总理经常援引他们两国作为“最古老和最大”民主国家的主张来鼓吹美印联盟的自然性。据称，共同的民主价值观是将两国联系在一起的粘合剂。这篇文章认为，两国政府对民主价值观的愤世嫉俗和机会主义的援引损害了全球的民主事业。两者都攻击新闻界、公民社会和司法机构的独立性；民主倒退和宗教不容忍在这两个国家都有所恶化。已经被特朗普打击的美国民主证书的合法性，因拥抱莫迪的印度而受到不可挽回的污染。这种非自由共识的受害者是国际民主。