Explained: Why you can’t put BRICS in the anti-West box

International Relations · 12 September 2026 · Based on Indian Express (original report)

2-minute summary

The article analyzes the internal dynamics of the BRICS grouping, challenging the simplistic narrative that it is a monolithic, anti-Western bloc led by China and Russia. Instead, BRICS represents a wide spectrum of national interests. While Iran represents an anti-Western pole seeking to bypass diplomatic isolation, and Russia and China engage in strategic competition with the West, other key members seek reform rather than confrontation. Brazil, deeply rooted in Western cultural and legal traditions, rejects systematic anti-Western mobilization and opposes a common BRICS currency, preferring local-currency trade settlements. Similarly, India maintains a 'non-Western' but not 'anti-Western' stance, balancing its BRICS membership with deep partnerships in the West (such as the Quad) to preserve its strategic autonomy. Newer members like Egypt and the UAE also maintain strong security and commercial ties with the US. India's primary diplomatic challenge is to steer BRICS as a forum for democratizing global governance rather than allowing it to become an antagonistic, China-led revisionist alliance.

Why it's in the news

The analysis comes ahead of India hosting the BRICS summit in Delhi, bringing critical focus to India's diplomatic challenge of balancing its strategic partnerships with the West while championing the interests of the Global South within the expanded BRICS+ framework.

Background and context

The acronym BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001 to highlight the economic potential of these emerging markets. The grouping was formalized with its first summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, forming BRICS. In recent years, the group has expanded into BRICS+ with the inclusion of nations like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. Over time, BRICS has transitioned from an investment concept into a prominent geopolitical platform. It seeks to reform the post-WWII global financial architecture (such as the IMF and World Bank) and promote a multipolar world order. Key institutional achievements include the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) under the 2014 Fortaleza Declaration.

Constitutional provisions

• Article 51 — Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) mandate the promotion of international peace and security, maintaining just and honorable relations between nations, and fostering respect for international law.

International organisations

• BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, etc.) — An informal group of emerging economies seeking to cooperate on economic, political, and cultural fronts to reform global governance.
• New Development Bank (NDB) — A multilateral development bank established by BRICS in 2014 to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects.
• The Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) — A strategic security dialogue between India, the US, Japan, and Australia, highlighting India's balanced engagement with Western powers.

Previous UPSC questions on this theme

• Mains GS-2 2026 — "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to other groupings.
• Prelims GS-1 2025 — Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS : I. 16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan. II. Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS. III. The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) I and II (b) II and III (c) I and III (d) I only

Mains practice: BRICS is increasingly projected as an anti-Western counterweight led by China and Russia. Critically analyze this statement, highlighting the diverse national interests within the grouping and India's diplomatic stance.

The expansion of BRICS has intensified global debates, with critics viewing it as an revisionist, anti-Western bloc, and supporters seeing it as a champion of the Global South. However, characterizing BRICS as a monolithic anti-Western alliance overlooks the diverse national interests of its members.

**Diverse National Interests within BRICS:**

• **The Confrontational Pole:** Iran, facing severe Western sanctions, views BRICS as a tool to bypass diplomatic isolation and challenge US hegemony.

• **Strategic Competitors:** Russia, deeply alienated by the Ukraine war, seeks a structural rupture with the West. China aims to challenge US primacy in Asia and build parallel systems to reduce vulnerability to sanctions. Yet, both remain economically interdependent with Western markets.

• **The Reformist/Non-Western Stance:** India and Brazil do not seek to overthrow the international order. Brazil, rooted in Western democratic traditions, rejects systematic anti-Western mobilization and opposes a common currency. India, a post-colonial developing nation, seeks to reform global institutions from within rather than destroy them.

• **Pragmatic Autonomy Seekers:** New members like Egypt and the UAE maintain deep strategic, commercial, and security ties with the US and Europe, using BRICS to diversify their foreign policy options rather than join an anti-Western crusade.

**India's Diplomatic Stance:**

India's foreign policy of multi-alignment allows it to engage with the West through the Quad while actively participating in BRICS. India's primary objective is to prevent BRICS from becoming an instrument for Chinese geopolitical hegemony. Delhi advocates for practical reforms, such as local-currency trade settlements, while rejecting aggressive de-dollarization.

In conclusion, BRICS is not a cohesive anti-Western bloc but a heterogeneous forum. India's diplomatic challenge lies in steering the grouping toward democratizing international governance rather than fostering a geopolitical rupture with the West.

Prelims practice questions

Q1. With reference to the BRICS grouping, consider the following statements: 1. The first formal summit of the BRIC nations was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. 2. The New Development Bank (NDB) operates on an equal-voting-share model for its founding members, with no member holding veto power. 3. The Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) was established under the Johannesburg Declaration. Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A. Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The first formal BRIC summit took place in Yekaterinburg in 2009. The NDB operates on an equal-voting-share model where no founding member has veto power. Statement 3 is incorrect because the CRA, along with the NDB, was established under the Fortaleza Declaration in 2014, not the Johannesburg Declaration.

Q2. Which of the following best describes India's foreign policy approach of 'multi-alignment' as demonstrated in its multilateral engagements?

1. Formally joining military alliances with non-Western powers to counter unilateral Western sanctions.
2. Completely isolating itself from Western-led global financial institutions to promote self-reliance.
3. Engaging with diverse and potentially competing platforms, such as the Quad and BRICS, to secure national interests and strategic autonomy.
4. Prioritizing bilateral trade agreements exclusively over multilateral diplomacy to avoid geopolitical friction.

Answer: C. Multi-alignment is a pragmatic foreign policy approach where India engages with diverse, sometimes competing, global groupings (like the Western-aligned Quad and the non-Western BRICS) to maximize its strategic autonomy and pursue its national interests without formal alignment with any single bloc.

Q3. Regarding the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), consider the following statements: 1. It was established to provide short-term liquidity support to help members manage balance of payments pressures. 2. Unlike the New Development Bank, capital commitments and voting power in the CRA are distributed unequally among the founding members. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C. Both statements are correct. The CRA provides short-term liquidity support to address balance of payments issues. Unlike the NDB (where founding members have equal votes), the CRA's capital commitments and voting rights are unequal, with China contributing the largest share ($41 billion) and consequently holding the largest voting power.

Revision flashcards

• What is the difference between a 'non-Western' and an 'anti-Western' foreign policy stance? A 'non-Western' stance (like India's) reflects a post-colonial, developing-country identity seeking strategic autonomy and global institutional reform. An 'anti-Western' stance (like Iran's) involves active geopolitical hostility and a desire to overthrow the Western-led international order.
• Why does Brazil oppose the creation of a common BRICS currency despite supporting local-currency trade (as of September 2026)? Brazil believes a common currency requires a level of political trust, economic convergence, and deep institutional integration that the highly diverse BRICS grouping currently lacks.
• In which year and under which declaration were the New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) established (as of September 2026)? They were established in 2014 under the Fortaleza Declaration during the 6th BRICS Summit in Brazil.
• How does the voting structure of the New Development Bank (NDB) differ from the IMF or World Bank (as of September 2026)? In the NDB, each founding member has equal voting power (one member, one vote) and no member has veto power, unlike the capital-share-weighted voting systems of the IMF and World Bank.
• What is India's primary diplomatic objective regarding the global perception of BRICS? To project BRICS as a reformist forum seeking to democratize international governance, rather than an antagonistic, China-led revisionist bloc seeking a rupture with the West.