On one of my early trips to the United States, perhaps in the late 1980s, I was flying from San Antonio to Chicago in a United Airlines plane, two seats on either side of the aisle. Next to me was a personable young white American, whose name told me he was clearly from the upper end of American society. Something William Knuckleduster III, like a king.

At that time, it was a bit of a joke among many of us that most Americans were pleasantly surprised to discover that the world had many serious countries other than America, and with names like Madagascar, Eritrea and Thailand. A twisted map called Reagan's World captured America's ignorance and ego together. India hung like a tiny appendix between three countries named Our Oil (to the west), Godless Communists (to the north, comprising USSR) and Their China (different from Taiwan and Hong Kong, which was Our China).