This weekend, some of the most powerful people in the world gathered in Delhi around a vast circular table. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that together, the leaders next to him should increasingly become "rule-shapers", not "rule-takers". Among those listening were members of the Brics group, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
These are hardly natural allies. They have histories of border disputes and even military confrontations. India and China engaged in a deadly clash along their disputed border in 2020.
Iran and the UAE have been on opposing ends of the war in the Middle East, with Tehran launching missiles and drones at its fellow Brics member as the conflict sent shockwaves across global economies. The fact that India was able to gather these leaders together in person is a feat in and of itself and testament to its diplomatic reach. The weekend also provided a platform for countries to reassess their relationships in light of the Iran war.
But agreeing on what a new global order should look like and achieving clear, tangible outcomes was a much harder task, and that tension ran through this weekend's summit. For members such as China, Russia and Iran, Brics offers a vehicle to dilute the influence of the US and western Europe. But India has been reluctant to cast Brics as an anti-Western bloc.
Modi himself said at the summit that the group is "not against anyone". That distinction matters for Delhi, which wants to preserve its relationships with nations at odds with each other. "There are countries in the grouping which would like it to become anti-western, but it is not that," says Anil Trigunayat, a veteran Indian diplomat and former ambassador.
What India has achieved, in his view, is a push for "strategic autonomy in an era of war" and initiatives to "enhance greater collaboration amongst themselves". The summit succeeded in delivering a joint declaration when divisions among members have rarely been so glaring. Twice earlier this year, meetings between Brics ministers had failed to produce a joint statement.
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