A Global Mandate for BRICS

Multilateral meetings often turn into jamborees where homilies are delivered and participants move on. The meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi, however, comes at a time of global economic and political crises and the proceedings reflect the concerns of not just the Global South but a host of countries who are grappling with crises not of their making. The statement of Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar reflected those concerns candidly. One line, in particular, was worth noting: “Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity must remain the foundation of international relations. Dialogue and diplomacy are the only sustainable means of resolving conflicts.” On paper, this is the standard Indian position on the subject.

But the fact that Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is present for the meeting gives heightened salience to the statement. Similarly, Jaishankar’s assertion that, “India supports a two-state solution where the Palestine issue is concerned,” reiterates India’s position on the subject, but is interesting nonetheless for the forum on which it has been aired. At the moment, the world is in a “polycrisis”, where economic and political crises are crisscrossing each other and magnifying problems for developing countries, including India. Many of the lead actors behind these troubles are unwilling to recognise their role in these crises, let alone address them. In fact, one country in particular is exacerbating the problems, one after the other. In such a situation, the BRICS meeting has an outsized importance. There are, of course, countries in the group that are at odds with each other. That, however, is not a barrier in arriving at consensus on pressing issues that concern the group as a whole.

The one area where BRICS ought to double down is economic cooperation among members. The group has countries well-endowed with different resources that can go a long way rebuilding supply chains that have broken down. Economic relations among members have developed largely along bilateral lines. Perhaps it is time to explore what can be done at the level of the group.