Vithanage Erandi Kawshalya Madhushani Jade Times Staff
V.E.K. Madhushani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Business.
India’s balancing act within BRICS aligns with global ambitions, but stops short of anti-Western stances
For years, Western analysts have viewed the BRICS coalition as relatively unimportant. Yet, at its latest summit in Russia, the group showed that it has evolved substantially. With leaders from 36 countries, including the UN Secretary General, attending the event, and the formal induction of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, BRICS appears to be gaining traction as a prominent player in global governance. The addition of these countries marks the first expansion since South Africa joined in 2010, and hints that more countries may follow suit in the near future. As a result, BRICS is capitalizing on discontent with Western-led financial structures and policies, particularly among countries from the Global South.
India, the BRICS member with the strongest ties to the West, is paradoxically among the biggest beneficiaries of this expansion. The country has substantial economic and diplomatic relations with the newly inducted members: Egypt is a growing trade partner, the UAE one of India’s key allies in the Middle East, and Ethiopia a long-standing African partner. These connections, coupled with India’s historical bonds with the founding BRICS members, position New Delhi uniquely to leverage BRICS for its own strategic interests.
Strategic Autonomy and Balanced Diplomacy
BRICS offers India the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to Russia despite Western isolation efforts. It also provides a platform for a measured approach to China, as evidenced by the recent agreement between India and China on border patrolling that paved the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the summit’s sidelines. This diplomatic flexibility underlines India’s foreign policy principle of “strategic autonomy,” which enables New Delhi to maintain relationships with a broad range of global players without becoming too aligned with any single bloc.
India’s engagement with BRICS also aligns with its commitment to multilateralism, promotion of the Global South, and advocacy for UN reforms. The BRICS summit’s joint statement reflected many of India’s priorities, including pushing for a more inclusive and multipolar world order and addressing challenges posed by Western sanctions, which affect India’s dealings with Russia and its projects with Iran.
The Pros and Cons of BRICS’ Growing Influence
BRICS’ rise comes at a challenging time for India, as the coalition's expansion could signal a potential counterbalance to Western influence. While the group is poised to serve as an alternative to Western-led governance models, India is cautious to avoid positioning itself in any anti-Western coalition. Despite the addition of states like Iran and potential future members like Belarus, BRICS remains far from an explicitly anti-West alliance. For instance, the UAE maintains close ties with the West, as do countries like Turkey and Vietnam that have shown interest in joining.
Nevertheless, challenges within the coalition persist. Long standing differences between member states make unity difficult to achieve. The founding BRICS nations themselves struggle to align on various issues, and with new members like Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia who have complex and, at times, tense relationships with one another achieving true cohesion may be even more challenging. India’s relations with China, though diplomatically managed within BRICS, remain fraught with border disputes and competition across South Asia.
BRICS' Practical Limitations and Strategic Cooperation
Despite concerns about its anti West potential, BRICS is unlikely to become a formidable counterforce to Western influence, as internal divisions and practical limitations constrain its ambitions. For example, while BRICS has floated ideas like a payment system to bypass the US dollar, many member economies rely heavily on the dollar and would struggle to detach from it. Furthermore, the practical challenge of aligning new members with differing priorities and economic structures hampers any push toward anti-Western unity.
The joint statement from the latest BRICS summit suggests that the group will focus on noncontroversial initiatives around climate change, healthcare, and technological cooperation goals that do not directly conflict with Western interests. This focus allows India to reinforce ties within BRICS without jeopardizing its relationships with Western allies.
Ideal Outcomes for India
Ultimately, BRICS provides India with a platform to engage in cooperative projects that do not alienate the West. These initiatives reinforce India’s strategic autonomy while helping Delhi maintain an active role in shaping multipolarity without contributing to global polarization. Through such collaboration, BRICS continues to carve out a space in international relations that fosters balance rather than division, making it a valuable ally in India’s pursuit of global influence.
