New delhi: In preparation for hosting the 18th BRICS summit in Delhi, India has crafted a slogan aimed at maintaining the group's brand while accommodating its numerous new members. The slogan, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," cleverly aligns with the acronym of the body's original members-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-while also setting shared goals for new members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to Deutsche Welle, this strategic slogan is seen as India's attempt to keep the BRICS summit low-key and neutral. Mihaela Papa, director of the BRICS Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, noted the slogan's elegance in reinterpreting BRICS as a mission-driven group rather than just a collection of country names. Sushant Singh, a lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University, added that India is trying not to offend Russia or China, even as it increasingly looks towards the United States for stronger ties.
India's significant geopolitical status adds weight to this year's summit, contrasting with last year's event in Brazil, where six of the bloc's 11 heads of state, including China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin, did not attend. This year, Putin is expected, and while Xi's attendance is not yet confirmed, it is widely anticipated. Papa emphasized the importance of China's leadership participation as a sign of BRICS' potential as a "stabilizing force," especially if regional rivals like Iran and the UAE collaborate.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin are set to meet, and there's potential for face-to-face talks between Modi and Xi, despite tensions between their countries. However, Singh predicts limited concrete outcomes from the summit, emphasizing India's focus on trade ties and avoiding any anti-Western stance. Modi sees BRICS as a forum for the Global South to present a unified front, advocating for a people-centric approach and prioritizing humanity.
As BRICS approaches its 18th anniversary, its coherence remains in question. Despite representing nearly half the world's population and about 40% of its GDP, the bloc struggles with internal contradictions, such as the mix of autocracies and democracies among its members. Singh points out that these contradictions make substantial achievements unlikely.
Nonetheless, Papa expects progress in trade, monetary cooperation, and agriculture. She highlights India's shared ambitions with other members in these areas, particularly regarding the WTO, suggesting that BRICS could achieve more in trade discussions than in broader global governance reforms. Despite these prospects, Singh maintains that the bloc will likely continue to fall short of major accomplishments due to internal and external challenges.