Brics leaders gather for summit in New Delhi

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Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and United States trade sanctions will be high on the agenda of the talks.

Brics is a grouping of major emerging markets and developing countries, named after an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. 

It has expanded from its original membership to include 11 countries that together represent about half the world’s population and a large share of its energy, resources and economic output. 

Host India will seek to balance its ties with China and Russia against its partnerships with the US and other Western powers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among the leaders expected to attend.

Brics includes countries with competing regional priorities, including India and China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as other nations from the global South.

“The global South is not a homogeneous entity,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. “Hence, the grouping will find it hard to manage and mediate in these conflicts.”

The Iran-US conflict poses a similar challenge. 

Brics members have differing ties with Washington and interests in the Middle East, making a unified response difficult.

China and Russia have backed Iran in international forums, while India has taken a cautious approach. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have their own tensions with Tehran.

Reducing dependence on the US dollar will continue to be a major issue for the Brics. 

Some members have already increased trade in their own currencies and are creating payment systems that would reduce their reliance on Western financial institutions.

The idea has gained momentum as countries such as Russia face sweeping Western sanctions. But replacing the dollar will be difficult, as it is deeply embedded in global trade and finance, while Brics members have different currencies, financial systems and economic priorities.

Mahesh Sachdev, a retired Indian diplomat, said the goal should not be a direct confrontation with the dollar. Instead, he said, countries want to reduce their exposure to the current financial system that can be used for political pressure.

“It’s a challenge, but we’re not talking about frontal confrontations. It’s not a binary situation,” he said. 

The group has called for changes to global financial institutions, greater representation for developing countries and alternatives to Western-dominated systems. 

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