How India Can Save BRICS From Collapse Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions | Is BRICS Still Relevant?

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00][music] [music] >> The idea of BRICS once sounded revolutionary, a club of rising powers challenging Western dominance and giving the global South a stronger voice.

[00:00:17]Fast forward to 2026 and the big question is this, is BRICS still relevant or is it slowly becoming a divided talking shop?

[00:00:26]The latest BRICS meetings have exposed a growing identity crisis within the block. India, the current BRICS chair, failed to secure a joint statement on the West Asia conflict after deep divisions emerged among member states.

[00:00:40]Why? Because BRICS is no longer just five countries with broad economic goals. It is now a 11-member block with competing geopolitical agendas.

[00:00:51]As of 2026, apart from the five original core members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS has added six more full members, including the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.

[00:01:10]Additionally, a new partner country category was created for around 10 nations, including Malaysia, Thailand, and Nigeria.

[00:01:18]Iran and the UAE, both now part of BRICS, are effectively on opposite sides of the regional conflict. Russia and China want BRICS to become a stronger anti-Western platform.

[00:01:30]India, meanwhile, is trying to balance ties with the United States, Israel, the Gulf, Russia, and the wider global South all at once.

[00:01:40]That contradiction is becoming impossible to hide.

[00:01:44]And this is where India faces a serious challenge.

[00:01:47]New Delhi wants BRICS to focus on economics, trade, infrastructure, and reforming global governance.

[00:01:54]But some members increasingly want the block to act like a geopolitical alliance against the West. India simply does not want that.

[00:02:03]Look at the issue of a BRICS currency.

[00:02:06]For years, China and Russia pushed the idea of reducing dependence on the US dollar.

[00:02:11]On paper, it sounds attractive. BRICS countries account for roughly 40% of the world's population and nearly a quarter of global exports.

[00:02:20]But in reality, the plan is going nowhere.

[00:02:24]India remains deeply skeptical. Why?

[00:02:27]Because any alternative currency system would almost certainly strengthen China's influence.

[00:02:33]And New Delhi has no intention of replacing dependence on the dollar with dependence on Beijing.

[00:02:39]Then comes Donald Trump's warning. The US president openly threatened tariffs against countries backing anti-dollar alternatives.

[00:02:47]That effectively froze momentum behind the BRICS currency debate.

[00:02:51]And that reveals BRICS's biggest weakness.

[00:02:54]Every member still prioritizes national interests over collective strategy.

[00:02:58]China and India are strategic rivals.

[00:03:01]Russia is isolated because of Ukraine.

[00:03:03]Iran is under sanctions. Brazil wants balanced diplomacy. The UAE wants stable relations with the West. South Africa faces economic troubles.

[00:03:12]So, what exactly unites BRICS anymore?

[00:03:15]Yet, declaring BRICS dead would also be a mistake. The block still matters economically.

[00:03:21]The New Development Bank, created as an alternative to Western financial institutions, continues funding infrastructure and development projects.

[00:03:29]Trade among BRICS countries remains massive.

[00:03:32]And for many global South nations, BRICS still symbolizes a platform where Western powers do not dominate every conversation.

[00:03:39]For India specifically, BRICS still offers strategic value. It allows New Delhi to engage Russia and China without entering formal alliances.

[00:03:48]It strengthens India's image as a voice of the developing world.

[00:03:52]>> [music] >> And importantly, it gives India a stage to counter China from within the organization rather than abandoning the space entirely. But if India wants BRICS to survive meaningfully, it must reshape the block during its 2026 chairmanship.

[00:04:07]Instead of chasing unrealistic goals like a common currency, India could push BRICS towards practical cooperation.

[00:04:14]Supply chains, AI governance, digital payments, climate financing, health security, and infrastructure connectivity. In short, less ideology, more delivery.

[00:04:26]And then comes another controversial issue, Pakistan's possible BRICS membership. Pakistan claims every BRICS country except India supports its entry.

[00:04:35]But from India's perspective, admitting Pakistan would create more problems than solutions.

[00:04:40]Unlike existing BRICS powers, Pakistan lacks the economic weight, institutional capacity, and global financial influence that originally defined the block.

[00:04:50]More importantly, India would strongly oppose bringing a country accused repeatedly of supporting cross-border terrorism into a platform meant to promote stability, development, and strategic coordination.

[00:05:03]For New Delhi, BRICS cannot become another arena for India-Pakistan rivalry.

[00:05:08]So, is BRICS relevant in 2026? The answer is complicated. As a united geopolitical force, BRICS looks fractured. As an economic and diplomatic platform for the global south, it still matters. But its future now depends on whether countries like India can stop it from becoming just another divided international club full of contradictions and competing ambitions.

[00:05:32]With Farhan Khan, Bureau Report, India Today Global.

[00:05:58]>> Oh.