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BRICS Offers India a Bridge Across the Global South
BRICS is a group of countries that want developing nations to have a stronger voice in world affairs.
It began with five countries and has expanded into a larger organization.
Its members have different governments, economies and cultures, but they cooperate on shared interests.
BRICS says it is not against Western countries, although it wants global institutions to become more representative.
It created a bank that has funded many infrastructure projects.
Trade among BRICS countries has also grown greatly.
Some members are using their own currencies instead of the US dollar for more trade.
India can use BRICS to connect developing countries with the West.
However, it is still unclear whether BRICS can help resolve conflicts such as those involving Ukraine and Iran.
BRICS has grown from five emerging economies into a broad platform representing the Global South, despite its members’ political and economic differences.
The group presents itself as non-Western rather than anti-Western, advocating sovereignty, non-interference, multipolarity and reforms to global institutions.
Its New Development Bank has financed about 120 sustainable infrastructure projects worth roughly $39 billion, without the political conditions associated with some other lenders.
Intra-BRICS trade rose from $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024, while members increasingly use local currencies for trade.
The BRICS summit gives India an opportunity to act as a bridge between Western countries and developing economies, though progress on conflict resolution remains uncertain.
- Who
- BRICS member states, including India, China, Russia, Brazil and other Global South countries; India is presented as a potential bridge between developing countries and the West.
- What
- BRICS is expanding cooperation through trade, financial institutions, local-currency settlements and efforts to influence global governance.
- Where
- Across BRICS member countries and international institutions, with India’s BRICS summit role receiving particular attention.
- When
- The article discusses BRICS’s development over more than two decades, including trade figures through 2024 and economic estimates for 2025.
- Why
- The group seeks to give Global South countries a stronger platform, reduce dependence on existing Western-led institutions and promote a more multipolar global order.
BRICS as a Global South Platform
BRICS as a Divided Talk Shop
Political identity
BRICS as a Global South Platform
BRICS is a non-Western, not anti-Western, organization that promotes sovereignty, non-interference, multipolarity and reform of global institutions.
BRICS as a Divided Talk Shop
The article notes that dominant Western portrayals describe BRICS as divided and ineffective because its members have very different political systems, economies and cultures.
Practical achievements
BRICS as a Global South Platform
Supporters point to the New Development Bank, strong growth in intra-BRICS trade and expanding use of local currencies as evidence of meaningful cooperation.
BRICS as a Divided Talk Shop
The article acknowledges that New Development Bank funding remains small compared with World Bank financing and says BRICS’s ability to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and Iran remains uncertain.
Common currency
BRICS as a Global South Platform
Local-currency trade can reduce exposure to US dollar liquidity problems and American monetary policy shocks, supporting debate about de-dollarisation.
BRICS as a Divided Talk Shop
The article says BRICS is unlikely to establish a common currency in the near term, limiting the immediate scope of its financial integration.
Key facts
- BRICS trade share
- BRICS accounts for over 20% of global trade, worth about $10 trillion.
- Intra-BRICS trade
- Trade among BRICS members increased from $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024.
- New Development Bank projects
- The New Development Bank has financed about 120 sustainable infrastructure projects costing roughly $39 billion.
- Local-currency financing
- The New Development Bank committed 30% of its financing in local currencies in recent years.
- BRICS financial institutions
- BRICS created the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.
- Economic disparity
- China’s estimated 2025 nominal GDP of about $20 trillion exceeded the combined roughly $14 trillion GDP of the other 10 BRICS states.
- India’s opportunity
- The BRICS summit offers India a chance to position itself as a leading Global South voice and a bridge to the West.
Sources
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