However, the group successfully demonstrated its progress during its annual meeting in Russia this past week.
Brics officially welcomed four new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The three-day event was attended by top officials from 36 nations and the UN Secretary General. There may be more membership expansions in the near future. Since its founding (as the Bric nations) in 2006, the Brics have only recruited one additional member, South Africa in 2010.
Brics, which has long positioned itself as an alternative to global governance paradigms established by the West, is gaining popularity. It is currently gaining prominence and clout as it takes advantage of the growing discontent with Western.
Ironically, India – perhaps the most Western-oriented Brics member – is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the group’s evolution and expansion.
India enjoys deep ties with most new Brics members. Egypt is a growing trade and security partner in the Middle East. The UAE (along with Saudi Arabia, which has been offered Brics membership but hasn’t yet formally joined) is one of India’s most important partners overall. India’s relationship with Ethiopia is one of its longest and closest in Africa.
Brics’ original members continue to offer important benefits for India too.
Delhi can leverage Britain to signal its continued commitment to close friend Russia, despite Western efforts to isolate it. And working with rival China in Britain helps India in its slow, cautious effort to ease tensions with Beijing, especially on the heels of a border patrolling deal announced by Delhi on the eve of the summit. That announcement likely gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi the necessary diplomatic and political space to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the summit’s sidelines.
