A Bloc Transformed and Expanded
The BRICS of today is not the same club it was a few years ago. Originally a coalition of five major emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—the bloc has undergone a significant expansion. Since 2024, it has welcomed new members
including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025. This growth has dramatically increased its demographic and economic footprint, now representing a huge portion of the world's population and a significant slice of global GDP. The goal was to create a more representative and powerful voice for the Global South. However, expansion has also magnified the group's internal diversity, bringing a host of new interests, and potential conflicts, to the table.
Deep-Seated Internal Divisions
Beneath the surface of diplomatic handshakes in New Delhi lies a web of complex and often conflicting relationships. The most significant is the long-standing rivalry between India and China. While both nations participate actively, their competing strategic visions and unresolved border disputes create a fundamental tension within the bloc. Beijing often views BRICS as a vehicle to counter Western influence, a stance New Delhi is wary of given its strong partnerships with the United States and Europe. Furthermore, the expansion has imported regional rivalries directly into the forum. The presence of both Iran and the UAE, two states with opposing interests in the Middle East, was starkly visible during a recent Foreign Ministers' meeting, which failed to produce a unified statement due to disagreements over regional conflicts. These fault lines demonstrate how difficult it is for the bloc to build consensus on major geopolitical issues.
The Quest for Common Ground
Despite the internal fractures, there are areas where BRICS members find common cause. A primary shared objective is the reform of global governance institutions like the UN Security Council, World Bank, and IMF, which are seen as reflecting an outdated, post-1945 world order. There is also broad agreement on the need to increase the use of national currencies in trade and to strengthen alternative financial mechanisms. The New Development Bank (NDB), a BRICS-led institution, is a tangible result of this ambition, though it remains undercapitalized and faces challenges in scaling its impact. India, during its 2026 presidency, has focused on a practical agenda of 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability', aiming to deliver tangible benefits in areas like digital infrastructure, health, and green finance. This approach seeks to find unity in development goals, even when geopolitical alignment is elusive.
India's Delicate Balancing Act
Hosting the summit places India at the very center of this complex dynamic. New Delhi must perform a delicate balancing act. On one hand, it champions the cause of the Global South and the need for a multipolar world. On the other, it must manage China's influence within the group and safeguard its own strategic autonomy, which includes maintaining robust ties with Western partners. India has cautiously supported expansion but is keen to establish clear criteria to prevent the bloc from losing its significance. The challenge for Indian diplomacy is to steer the group towards practical cooperation while preventing it from becoming an overtly anti-Western platform, a direction that countries like Russia and China sometimes appear to favor. India's leadership will be crucial in determining whether BRICS can function as a constructive forum or becomes paralyzed by its own internal contradictions.
