Given that the BRICS group, comprising emerging economies of the global south, was formed as a counterpoise to the overt dominance of the G7 nations led by the US, it was no surprise that its joint declaration issued last Sunday was a carefully worded document, which presented it as a defender of multilateralism while taking potshots at the US President Donald Trump’s destabilising tariff policy.
It may be noted that, apart from the five founding members, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, currently this group, founded in 2009, has added Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as full members and 10 strategic partner countries, including Belarus, Cuba and Vietnam. Thus, apart from providing some strategic support to relatively isolated nations like Russia, China, Iran etc., BRICS has emerged as a significant power hub since it represents half of global population and a quarter of global economic output.
Key points of the joint statement testify to the stance adopted by the group – for instance, it sharply rebukes American and Israeli bombardments of Iran in June, calling them a “blatant breach of international law,” while voicing strong support for the creation of a Palestinian State. However, the statement fails to take Russia to task for invading Ukraine and instead criticises the latter for attacking Russian troops, while also condemning “aggressive economic policies” without naming anyone.
Trump, of course, immediately attacked the joint statement, warning that countries siding with what he termed “anti-American policies” would face added tariffs. Another significant aspect of the Rio summit was the dominant position enjoyed by India, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a tribute to the astute foreign policy of the nation.
In the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping who chose to skip this summit, and Russian President Vladimir Putin who had to participate remotely, Modi emerged as the undisputed major leader, no matter that India too is a member of US-dominated groups such as Quad. He indulged in some plain speaking, and asserted that the global south has been a victim of double standards when it comes to development, distribution of resources or security-related issues.
He could also assure the group that India was fully committed to making constructive contributions, together with BRICS countries, on all issues, because India had always considered it its responsibility to rise above its own interests and work in the interest of humanity. BRICS 2025, in fact, can be seen as a triumph for Indian diplomacy considering that the joint statement unequivocally condemned countries that exported terror while referring to the heinous killing of tourists at Pahalgam. It would be interesting to see how the touchy US President responds to the thrust of Modi’s speech, and if he dares to impose any punitive tariffs on a nation vital to US’ security concerns.