Mihir Sharma: The world shouldn't laugh at the US too soon

The death of American exceptionalism has been greatly exaggerated; other democracies still have some things to learn

In much of the world, the sight of a mob storming the United States Capitol to keep their leader in office was met not just with horror but with, let’s face it, schadenfreude. Finally! The U.S., which has for decades lectured other democracies about their imperfections and failures, had an anti-democratic moment of its own. Some here in India responded in keeping with the honored traditions of this country — i.e., WhatsApp jokes (“Owing to Covid-19 travel restrictions, this year’s U.S.-backed coup will take place at home”). The Times of India’s banner headline was “Coup Klux Klan.”

Others’ humor was