When Different Democracies Collide

India and United States, Competing Visions of the International Order?

Abstract

This article argues that commonality of regime type is not a sufficient condition for peaceful power transition. Other elements that have deserved very little attention can be much more determinant of the outcome, especially if we cross levels o analysis. This article advances a model that is going to apply to the cases of the United States (as a declining power) and India (as a rising power). The model and the empirical analysis uncover those factors, articulate them and explain why New Delhi contests important aspects of the American-led liberal order.