BRICS, explained.
A summit watched closely around the world (Kristina Solovyova via Getty Images)
A New Delhi declaration nearly 140 clauses long shows what BRICS can do well: keep rivals talking.
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BRICS grits its teeth through a New Delhi breakthroughBRICS grits its teeth through a New Delhi breakthrough
What do you get when Modi, Xi and Putin walk into a room?
You get a photo op for the ages, showing the three most powerful non-Western leaders holding hands and closed-mouth smiling, sending a clear message that, whatever their internal dissonance, a new world order beyond the West is taking shape.
You also get a hefty joint declaration (Opens in new window) along with the eight other member states that expresses concern over conflicts in the Middle East and West Asia, the risks of nuclear danger, international money laundering and welcomes deeper cooperation between the group’s members.
There’s probably a cracked molar in there too, such are the difficulties of trying to find consensus between states that are not natural bedfellows and, in some cases, have hostilities between them. But that’s just collateral damage in the tense world of geopolitics.
The leaders' photo (Iranian Presidency via Anadolu/Getty Images)
The two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, held over the weekend, brought together leaders from the Global South including India, China, Russia, Iran, the UAE, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia.
It was the 18th such summit, and was watched closely around the world, coming at a time when there is recognition that the existing order is waning. A long-running war in Ukraine, the war in Iran entering its sixth month, a flaccid international response to an alleged genocide in Gaza, intensifying US-China rivalry and frustration over US tariffs have combined to create a vibe that perhaps we should make space for multipolarity.
India would love for BRICS to be the vehicle for this, working overtime to ensure Xi’s appearance, despite the tensions over borders and territory between them. It succeeded, with Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. This summit was a definite step forward, particularly with the long and detailed New Delhi Declaration that was reached on Sunday.The declaration was a breakthrough as the bloc had been unable to reach consensus at a May meeting of foreign ministers.
The declaration called for, along with the aforementioned things, reforms to the United Nations and the Security Council, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It also sought to strengthen the financial positions of the Global South, opposing sanctions and coercive economic measures, and favoured more use of local currencies in international trade. It voiced concern over drug production and trafficking, reaffirmed commitment to humanitarian cooperation, and called for space research (Opens in new window) to be used for peaceful purposes. In all, there are almost 140 clauses. It is wide ranging and there is a lot in there, and the throughline is that the Global South wants a greater say in how the international system operates, how global institutions are run, and how their own states are treated.
The 11 member states span democracies and authoritarian states, energy exporters and customers, friends and antagonists of the United States.
This is, of course, where things get tricky. The 11 member states span democracies and authoritarian states, energy exporters and customers, friends and antagonists of the United States. There are spats and conflicts between them, and deeply divergent interests and goals. There is a chance that, without intervention, BRICS could be manipulated into becoming an explicitly anti-American bloc, which would not augur well for those members who would prefer to deflect further conflict.
The declaration is proof that India succeeded in keeping the summit focused on areas of cooperation and agreement (although there was a last-minute disagreement between Iran and the UAE over the wording). A close read shows careful phrasing, particularly in the clauses referring to conflicts in the Middle East.
This reveals how BRICS might have its best value: to be the venue that allows states that disagree with each other, to keep talking. China and India talked this weekend, amid their unresolved issues around dominance and borders. (Also, it has been reported (Opens in new window) that there was no hugging between the leaders.) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed also met, the highest-level contact between the countries since the start of the Middle East war, a sign of progress.
Will this be the summit that propels India to kingmaker-of-the-Global-South status and solidifies the bloc as one that can take on Western dominance of global institutions? Hardly. But as one that sets the terms on cooperation and rules for future encroachment by the Global South into the institutions that govern them, it’s a solid step forward.
About the author
Aarti Betigeri
Aarti Betigeri is a multi-platform journalist and former foreign correspondent with a keen interest in India.
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