India is hosting the latest BRICS summit this week, bringing together leaders from the grouping's member nations for high-stakes discussions that go well beyond economics. The summit arrives at a moment when the once-cohesive bloc is grappling with internal contradictions and external pressures that test its very purpose.
At the center of it all is India, which is using the platform to demonstrate its role as a bridge between competing global power centers. While Russia and Iran remain key partners for New Delhi — particularly on energy and defense — India has simultaneously invested heavily in deepening relationships with the United States and European Union over the past several years. The challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ensuring that hosting BRICS does not undermine those Western ties, or vice versa.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have further complicated BRICS solidarity. Several member states carry varying degrees of alignment with Moscow, while others face their own domestic priorities. Meanwhile, friction between Washington and Beijing — the two largest economies in the bloc — has intensified in recent years, adding another layer of difficulty to any collective decision-making.
Beyond the plenary sessions, bilateral diplomacy is already in full swing. Among the most closely watched meetings is Prime Minister Modi's engagement with the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE, while not a BRICS member, holds strategic importance for India as a major trade partner, a critical energy supplier, and a key node in the Indian diaspora's economic remittances. Analysts say the discussions are expected to cover trade agreements, security cooperation, and regional stability concerns.
Observers note that India's foreign policy philosophy has long favored strategic autonomy — the ability to engage with all sides without formally aligning with any single bloc. The BRICS summit provides both an opportunity and a challenge to that approach, as members look to India to help steer the group toward greater cohesion or risk watching it fracture further along fault lines drawn by great-power rivalry.
