When George W. Bush went to India on his historic trip in 2006, he repeatedly stressed America’s and India’s shared democratic credentials. This should be at the forefront of Barack Obama’s mind as he starts his visit to India on Saturday. How will he frame the two powers’ relationship? Will he present the India-US friendship as an expression of core political values – freedom to vote, speak, move and worship, and tolerance of religious and ethnic diversity – that they share? Will he present that bond as a cornerstone of a new order, especially given the absence of political freedoms in a rising China? Will he even take the momentous step of endorsing India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council? He should.
2006年小布什(George W. Bush)對印度進行歷史性的訪問時，反覆強調美國和印度同爲民主國家。巴拉克•歐巴馬(Barack Obama)本月6日開始訪問印度時，最該銘記的也應該是這一點。他會如何構築這兩個大國的關係？他會不會讓印美關係成爲對兩國共同核心政治價值觀——選舉、言論、遷徙和信仰自由，以及對宗教和民族多樣性的寬容——的一種表達？他會不會讓兩國關係成爲世界新秩序的一塊基石，尤其是考慮到崛起中的中國缺乏政治自由？他會不會邁出極爲重要的一步，支持印度當選聯合國安理會(UN Security Council)常任理事國？他應當這樣做。