Leaders of the expanded BRICS bloc are meeting in New Delhi, India, as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with rising U.S.-China tensions, test the group’s ability to maintain unity and pursue a common agenda.
The 18th BRICS summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brings together leaders and senior representatives from the group’s 11 member countries. Among the prominent participants are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The summit is taking place against the backdrop of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, including the ongoing war involving Iran. These crises have exposed differences among BRICS members, many of which maintain competing diplomatic, economic and security relationships.
Iran’s membership presents a particular challenge. While Russia and China have maintained close ties with Tehran, countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have their own strategic interests and complicated relationships with Iran. India, meanwhile, has sought to maintain relations with both Western powers and countries such as Russia and Iran.
The bloc has also expanded considerably from its original five members—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It now includes countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, giving BRICS a much larger global economic and demographic footprint.
However, its growing membership has also made consensus more difficult. Members have different foreign-policy priorities and varying relationships with the United States and Europe, making it challenging to agree on major geopolitical issues.
Reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar is another major issue at the summit. BRICS countries have discussed increasing trade in national currencies and developing alternative payment mechanisms to reduce reliance on Western-dominated financial systems.
India has been careful to frame these efforts as economic cooperation rather than an attempt to directly challenge the U.S. dollar. New Delhi also wants BRICS to remain a platform for emerging economies rather than become an explicitly anti-Western alliance.
The summit also provides an important opportunity for India and China to strengthen their improving relations. Xi’s visit marks his first trip to India in seven years, highlighting a cautious thaw between the two Asian powers following years of border tensions.
For India, the challenge is balancing its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western countries while maintaining longstanding strategic ties with Russia and improving relations with China.
The outcome of the summit could therefore determine whether BRICS can translate its growing influence into practical cooperation on trade, finance, energy, food security and global governance, or whether internal disagreements will limit the bloc’s ability to act collectively.
Swifteradio.com
