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    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

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