In a recent exchange, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar offered a robust response to Daniel Block, a senior editor at Foreign Affairs, a US-based magazine. The exchange took place during a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a think-tank based in the United States, moderated by former US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster.
Block raised a question concerning India’s position on democracy indices, referring to a journalist in India who had previously queried Jaishankar about India’s declining scores in Freedom House, V-Dem, and other democracy assessments. Block quoted Jaishankar’s response, where he had criticized such downgrades as “hypocrisy.”
However, Jaishankar promptly interjected, urging Block to get to the point. Undeterred, Block continued his inquiry, questioning whether the perceived decline in India’s democracy might hinder its aspirations to become a global powerhouse.
In response, Jaishankar criticized the reports, asserting that they often exhibited bias and distorted facts. He contended that many of these reports were deeply flawed.
In 2021, Freedom House, a well-known Washington-based think tank, downgraded India’s freedom score from “free” to “partly free.” This decision was based on various factors, including concerns about attacks on religious minorities, the use of sedition laws, and the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jaishankar’s earlier critique had labeled such organizations as “self-appointed custodians of the world” who struggled to accept India’s independence from their approval.
Block’s exchange with Jaishankar highlighted the ongoing debate about India’s democracy and the international perception of it. It also emphasized the challenges of assessing complex political landscapes through standardized indices.
Daniel Block, currently a senior editor at Foreign Affairs, has previously worked with several publications, including the Washington Monthly, the Caravan India, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
This exchange underscores the broader discourse surrounding India’s democratic trajectory, a subject that continues to be a topic of international scrutiny and debate.
