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    OPINION                                                                   JULY 03, 2026    |  The Indian Eye 11

            region, while the SCO clearly oper-
            ates within the same region to ad-
            dress security issues.
                BRICS, with its much wider
            membership, is largely dependent on
            the economic size and wider cooper-
            ation of China, India and Russia to
            play a meaningful role in providing
            an alternative geo-economic fulcrum
            to the world. Brazil, a non-Eurasian
            country and the world’s tenth-largest
            economy, also has an important role
            to play. Of these four, the quality of
            political and security relations among
            Russia, China and India is crucial to
            the success of BRICS. At the same
            time, the overall security-strategic
            dynamics of the Eurasian region af-
            fect the quality of relations between
            the two.
                The three groupings together
            address the three reference points:
            strategic autonomy, strategic balanc-
            ing and the Global South. Although
            the  global  power  configuration  has
            undergone significant changes since                    The three RIC countries are among the four founding members of BRICS (File photo)
            the RIC’s formation, multi-polarity
            remains the ideal.
                                              aratism and extremism that has a   with a ‘managed G-2’ with the US   engagement  in  the  Indo-Pacific.  At
                                              bearing on India’s national security.   in future, whereas Russia sticks to   the  same  time,  Eurasian  processes
            The last iteration of the RIC re-  Pakistan’s collusion with such forces   multi-polarity. Therefore, the latter   are important for resource and phys-
            affirmed support for a “rebal-    adds another layer of complexity to   would have the motivation to keep In-  ical security, as well as for reforming
                                                                                dia invested in the regional scenario.
                                                                                                                  the global order. Participation in pro-
                                              the regional situation for India, as it
            anced” world. India and Chi-      commands a strategic location in the   India will also share the same   cesses of both regions also ensures
            na lead the campaign for the      wider Eurasian region and harbours   consideration.  This  is  not  to  sug-  strategic balancing across contested
                                              active hostility towards India. Fur-  gest that India needs the RIC for its   geopolitical spaces. That India  re-
            Global South. Russia, which  thermore, the region is important      Central Asian outreach. Still, it does   mains invested and active on both
            identifies as a non-Western       for energy security and for transport   have a role to play in ensuring strate-  fronts is the crux of India’s strategic
                                              corridors, such as the TAPI and the   gic coordination and communication   autonomy.
            power  that inherits the  Soviet  International North-South Transport   among the region’s leading coun-  India’s  BRICS  presidency,  re-
            tradition of socialism, adheres   Corridor (INSTC). However, prog-  tries, which will make India’s pres-  cent signals about the RIC, and the
                                              ress on these initiatives remains elu-  ence more of a net positive. Thus,   improvement of India–China rela-
            to the idea of multi-polarity,  sive and subpar.                    there is impeccable logic in reviving   tions come at a time when the US is
            demands reforms in global gov-        Given their geographical and   the RIC, which should, in turn, make   sending ambiguous signals about its
                                              economic size and the scale of their   the SCO and BRICS processes even   commitment to the Indo-Pacific and
            ernance, and considers itself a  capabilities, a natural Eurasian trian-  more meaningful. Trilateral National   the Quad. It is thus an opportune
            natural ally.                     gle involving Russia, India and Chi-  Security Advisor and secretary-lev-  time to take steps to transcend ‘emo-
                                              na exists that needs to be leveraged.   el meetings should be considered.   tional’ partnerships, framing traps
                                              India sits  on  a commanding  height   It should, in fact, be considered for   and simplistic binaries. Fluctuations
                On questions of global gover-  in the broader Eurasian landmass.   upgradation to regular summit-level   in India’s relations with either power
            nance  reforms,  alternative  finan-  Having uninterrupted strategic com-  meetings.                  in either quarter should not be per-
            cial architectures, and respect for   munication with its two most import-                            mitted to sway fundamental calcula-
            non-intervention  and  sovereignty,   ant peers in the region, Russia and      Conclusion             tions. The essence lies in conviction
            their views converge substantially.   China, is only rational. Considering   trategic autonomy is not about   and consistency.
            Mini-lateral coordination among   the importance of the broader re-      ad hoc transactionalism. It is   Dr. Prashant Kumar Singh follows the
            them is even more relevant amid de-  gion, sustained triangular strategic   Sabout anchoring  one’s  foreign   strategic and domestic affairs of China.
            stabilising political and economic uni-  communication is by itself a strategic   policy on stable, durable pillars that   He is also a keen follower of state and
            lateralism from certain quarters of the   gain. It gives a positive signal to inter-  must  be  safeguarded  from  external   society in Taiwan.
            world. Their strategic coordination   national and domestic constituencies   pressures. Multi-alignment is such a
            is required to strengthen the nested   while  helping  to  build  confidence   central pillar in India’s foreign policy.     Views expressed are of the author and
            geometry of the RIC–SCO–BRICS.    among them.                       India’s geopolitical position straddles   do not necessarily reflect the views of
                                                  Furthermore,   this  triangle                                    the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
                India’s Stakes in Reviving    should not be allowed to be skewed   both the Eurasian and Indo-Pacif-     Government of India.
                        the RIC               by any one party to the detriment of   ic regions, with abiding interests in   The full version of this article first ap-
                                                                                both.  Sustained  and  mutually  bene-
               ndia has vital geopolitical and   others in the region, nor should any   ficial  engagement  must  be  pursued   peared in the Comments section of the
               geo-economic interests in re-  one angle of the triangle be allowed   without let or hindrance from any   website (www.idsa.in) of Manohar Par-
            Igional security and stability. The   to dominate the others.       external quarter. Sizable economic   rikar Institute for Defense Studies and
            region is a hotbed of terrorism, sep-  China may not be uncomfortable   and technological stakes drive India’s   Analyses, New Delhi, on June 24, 2026

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