Sri Lanka, Dec. 8 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India on December 4-5 to attend the 23rd India-Russia Summit. Judging by the media coverage of this visit, one might conclude that India and Russia had forged a grand alliance capable of reshaping the global order and dealing a devastating blow to the United States and the West. In the eyes of the Indian media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by inviting Putin to India, had performed yet another masterstroke - one that had undoubtedly overturned Western dominance in global geopolitics.

Watching the frenzy on Indian television and across the mainstream press, it would seem that every move the prime minister makes is a stroke of genius, inspired by the timeless wisdom of the ancie...