Page 10 - The Indian EYE 041726

OPINION APRIL 17, 2026 | The Indian Eye 10

Twentieth Anniversary of BRICS and

India’s BRICS Summit Presidency

has even undermined the United
Nations. The relative decline of the
West is a fact of the present time.
This decline has been producing geo-
political and geoeconomic seismic
shifts in several unanticipated ways
and is likely to continue to do so in
the near future.
In this backdrop, BRICS has a
positive role to play. It can provide
an anchor of geopolitical and geo-
economic stability. Its role as a lead-
ing international grouping has be-
PRASHANT KUMAR SINGH come increasingly distinctive. Indeed,
it contributes to ongoing efforts for
n its two decades of existence, promoting reformed multilateralism
BRICS has often been viewed as well as multipolarity. Participating
Ias Russia and China’s attempt in BRICS processes is also a way of
to create an anti-West bloc that will expressing strategic autonomy in the
eventually succumb to irrelevance current global context. It increases
under the weight of contradictions the space available for the Global
among its members. cent of the GDP in purchasing power ment’ and ‘accelerating collective South. It emphasises reforming the
This view is premised on strate- parity (PPP) terms and 26 per cent efforts’. Here, ‘global uncertainties’ global financial architecture.
gic and security divergences among of trade at present, provides a con- most certainly imply economic, tech- Ideas such as de-dollarisation,
BRICS members, differences in their sultative policy coordination mecha- nological, climate and natural and which lack consensus, have not
governance models and deep vari- nism to address global concerns such other disruptions. gained traction in BRICS. Still, the
ations in their economic scales and as terrorism, climate change, food argument that international financial
developmental priorities. Strategic and energy security, and disruptions They naturally allude as well to transactions in national currencies
mistrust and security issues between in the international economy and geopolitical uncertainties that provide a certain safety and certain-
India and China are especially men- finance. It seeks to strengthen inter- ty in an increasingly uncertain world
tioned in this regard. It has also often national trade and financial architec- ultimately cause such disrup- has merit. Furthermore, BRICS
been derided as a talking shop with ture, and cooperation in agriculture, tions to a great extent. Thus, can be leveraged to promote North–
no viable future. However, an exam- labour and employment, in ways suit- South dialogue.
ination of BRICS’ evolution belies ed to the Global South and led by its on the political side, India val- BRICS reflects the changed re-
this pessimistic critique. It establish- prominent voices. ues BRICS as a process that ality of the world. It can be perceived
es that BRICS has instead emerged Overall, BRICS emphasises complements its demand for as an anti-West bloc only if one ex-
as a force for good and can serve as ‘people-centric development, foster- pects that countries around the
an anchor for systemic stability. ing dialogue, and promoting practical reformed multilateralism. world are committed to preserving
In its evolutionary journey, cooperation’ in the aforementioned the old reality—a post-war interna-
BRICS has maintained a steady issue areas. Its increasing member- Here, it would be apt to address tional order dominated by the West,
course unaffected by geopolitical ship provides practical evidence of its the concern that BRICS is essen- which is now anachronistic. India, as
instabilities. It has witnessed a fair growing appeal and approval among tially Russia and China’s vehicle for a founding member of the grouping,
degree of institutionalisation, as countries in the Global South. promoting an anti-West bloc. These is well aware of this untenable situ-
evidenced by the establishment of Prime Minister Narendra Mo- apprehensions have arisen due to ation. This political clarity should
the New Development Bank (NDB, di’s speech at the 2025 Rio Summit the antagonistic nature of relations remain unwavering as an underlying
or BRICS Bank) in 2015. Over the articulated “a people-centric and between Russia and the West, and to principle in India’s promotion of ‘a
years, its agenda has broadened and humanity-first approach” for BRICS a lesser degree between China and people-centric and humanity-first
become only more comprehensive. processes. In keeping with this, India the West. The internal discourse of approach’ through BRICS.
Moving beyond discussions of ‘eco- will promote ‘Building for Resilience, these two countries and their rhe- Views expressed are of the author and
nomic issues of mutual concern’ in its Innovation, Cooperation and Sus- torical positioning at BRICS meet- do not necessarily reflect the views of
initial years, it has developed three tainability’ as the theme of the up- ings may sometimes betray such the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
well-defined, articulated core pillars coming Summit during its Chairship. sentiments. However, the evolution Government of India.
for cooperative activities: ‘political India has expounded the theme of the BRICS agenda and diverse
and security cooperation, economic in the following manner: membership does not support such The full version of this article first ap-
and financial cooperation, and peo- In this exposition, India views an assumption. peared in the Comments section of the
ple-to-people exchanges’. BRICS as a grouping that should What cannot be ignored is the website (www.idsa.in) of Manohar Par-
BRICS, which houses 49.5 per help navigate ‘global uncertainties’ unprecedented geopolitical turmoil rikar Institute for Defense Studies and
cent of the world population, 40 per by ‘deepening multilateral engage- the world is experiencing, which Analyses, New Delhi, on April 9, 2026

www.TheIndianEYE.com