With the whole world lurching towards populism, nationalism, and, in some cases, outright authoritarianism, it can tempting to sit around drawing parallels between various deplorables. Marine Le Pen is to Matteo Salvini as Putin is to Erdoğan. Chan-o-cha is Thailand’s Bolsonaro, who is Brazil’s Orbán, who is Hungary’s whomever.

Last week, as the results of the Indian election came in, and as it became clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party were going to be returned to power with a larger majority than anyone predicted, some pundits were quick to warn against such comparisons, which others, inevitably, were already beginning to make. Modi is not Donald Trump, the pundits reminded us, and India is not the United States.