Archive · 12 Sep 2026
BRICS Is Diverse, Not Simply an Anti-Western Alliance
BRICS is a group of countries that want more influence in global affairs.
People often describe it as a team against the United States and Europe.
The article says that description is too simple.
India and Brazil want to change international institutions, but they do not want to destroy the existing system.
China and Russia compete with the West while still wanting recognition and influence in the global order.
Iran is the most openly opposed to the United States and Israel.
Other members, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia, have important relationships with Western countries.
India works with both BRICS and Western partners such as the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Its goal at the summit is to show that BRICS seeks reform and greater choice rather than one united anti-Western confrontation.
BRICS members disagree over whether to accommodate, balance, or confront the West.
India and Brazil favor reforming the international system rather than creating an anti-Western alliance.
Russia and China compete with the West but still seek status and influence within the global order.
Newer members such as Egypt, the UAE, and Indonesia maintain significant Western ties while seeking greater autonomy.
India’s summit challenge is to present BRICS as a forum for international reform, not a rupture with the West.
- Who
- India, Brazil, China, Russia, Iran, and other BRICS members.
- What
- India is seeking to frame BRICS as a diverse forum for reforming the international system rather than an anti-Western alliance.
- When
- As India presides over the BRICS summit on Saturday.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- Why
- BRICS members want greater influence, autonomy, and representation in global institutions, but they differ over how closely to confront or cooperate with the West.
Anti-Western Bloc Interpretation
Reformist and Autonomous Forum Interpretation
BRICS’s purpose
Anti-Western Bloc Interpretation
Supporters and some critics see BRICS as a vehicle for resisting Western dominance or forming a counter-bloc led by China and Russia.
Reformist and Autonomous Forum Interpretation
India and Brazil argue that BRICS should give members a larger role in the existing international system rather than overthrow it.
Relationship with the West
Anti-Western Bloc Interpretation
The grouping’s cooperation among countries challenging US power can be viewed as opposition to the US-led order.
Reformist and Autonomous Forum Interpretation
Most members seek autonomy, influence, or parity while retaining economic, security, and institutional ties with Western countries.
Future financial system
Anti-Western Bloc Interpretation
Some interpretations associate BRICS with de-dollarization or a common currency to challenge the dollar.
Reformist and Autonomous Forum Interpretation
Brazil supports practical bilateral settlement mechanisms but says a common currency would require political trust, economic convergence, and integration that BRICS lacks.
- Summit host
- India is presiding over the BRICS summit in Delhi.
- Central challenge
- India wants to promote international reform while rejecting the idea that BRICS seeks to overthrow the US-led order.
- Brazil’s position
- Brazil supports reforming global institutions but rejects systematic anti-Western mobilization.
- India’s position
- India describes itself as non-Western, while maintaining growing partnerships with the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
- Payments debate
- Brazil supports faster bilateral settlements and trade in national currencies where useful, but rejects a BRICS common currency to displace the dollar.
- China and Russia
- Both compete with the West while seeking status, influence, and a role in shaping the international order.
- Iran’s position
- Iran is the closest BRICS member to an anti-Western position because resistance to US power is central to its political identity.