India and the plausible multilateralism of BRICS, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• The 18th BRICS summit was held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, attracting significant global attention.
• The summit occurred amidst the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, in India’s extended neighborhood.
• India hosted the summit, bringing together leaders including the Presidents of Iran, Russia, and China.
• The Delhi Declaration was issued, demonstrating consensus among the 11 member-countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Iran, despite regional conflicts.
• India, initially neutral on the Iran conflict, repositioned itself as a traditional balancer in West Asia.

18th BRICS Summit.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• BRICS is viewed by some as a platform to foster multipolarity in the global order, while others express concerns about internal divisions or potential domination by Russia and China.
• India endorsed the Bishkek resolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), condemning strikes on Iran and expressing condolences for the assassination of its Supreme Leader.
• Multilateral forums like BRICS provide a crucial platform for India and China to maintain engagement and manage their border issues, fostering competitive coexistence.
• BRICS members generally converge on the view that unilateralism by any power is detrimental to global interests, despite differing approaches on specific issues like Artificial Intelligence regulation or climate change.
• The U.S. approach, characterized by a focus on its own dominance, has led to difficult experiences for several BRICS members, including India facing tariffs and economic impact from the Iran war.
• India's foreign policy, often described as "sabke sath" or multi-alignment, aims for strategic autonomy and avoids becoming a frontline in great-power rivalries.
• The UAE-Iran bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit highlighted the use of multilateral platforms to address bilateral challenges.
• The internal contradictions within BRICS are seen as preventing domination by any single country, while external convergence on building a more representative international system holds the group together.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Multilateralism: The principle of multiple countries working together on a common issue or towards shared goals.
• Multipolarity: A distribution of power in which more than two major nation-states have nearly equal amounts of military, cultural, and economic influence.
• Strategic Autonomy: A state's ability to pursue its national interests and foreign policy objectives independently, without being unduly influenced by other powers.
• Delhi Declaration: A joint statement issued by BRICS leaders at the summit, outlining their collective stance and agreements on various global and regional issues.