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UPSC MainsGeneral Studies Paper IIInternational RelationsPractice question

Expanded BRICS in the Global Order

Examine the significance of the expanded BRICS grouping in the evolving global order. What are the key challenges faced by the bloc?

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Introduce the expansion of BRICS (formalised with nations like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and UAE) and its constitutional resonance under Article 51. Detail its geopolitical and geo-economic significance, including demographic heft, energy dominance, de-dollarisation efforts, and advocacy for reformed multilateralism. Outline the core challenges such as ideological divergence, bilateral disputes, economic asymmetries, and financial fragmentation, concluding with a balanced forward-looking vision emphasizing multipolarity and India's strategic autonomy.

Model answer

370 words

Introduction

The expansion of BRICS—formalised at the Kazan Summit with the entry of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE—marks a structural inflection point in international relations. In line with the spirit of Article 51 of the Indian Constitution, which directs the state to foster equitable international relations and peace, this expanded grouping significantly recalibrates the contemporary global order.

Significance in the Evolving Global Order

  • Economic and Demographic Heft: The expanded BRICS accounts for nearly 45% of the world's population and over 35% of global GDP in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) terms, outstripping the G7 in combined purchasing power.
  • Energy Dominance and Strategic Chokepoints: Controlling over 40% of global crude oil production and crucial maritime chokepoints—including the Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Hormuz—the bloc commands unprecedented geo-economic leverage.
  • Push for De-Dollarisation: The bloc actively advances alternatives to Western-dominated payment architectures such as SWIFT through bilateral trade settlements in local currencies, development of BRICS Pay, and project financing via the New Development Bank (NDB).
  • Democratising Global Governance: It acts as a premier vehicle amplifying the voice of the Global South, pursuing long-overdue quota and structural reforms in the United Nations Security Council, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank.

Key Challenges Faced by the Bloc

  • Strategic Polarisation (Anti-West vs. Non-West): Internal ideological cleavages persist, where members like Russia and Iran envision an adversarial anti-Western bloc, while nations like India, Brazil, and the UAE maintain a non-Western, multi-aligned diplomatic posture.
  • Intra-Bloc Bilateral Frictions: Entrenched bilateral disputes, such as the India-China border tensions and the diplomatic standoff between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), undermine consensus-building.
  • Economic Asymmetry and Sinocentric Tilt: China accounts for over 60% of the bloc's collective GDP, raising structural concerns among smaller economies regarding the instrumentalisation of the forum to serve Beijing's geopolitical interests.
  • Financial and Macroeconomic Incoherence: Divergent inflation profiles, disparate capital control regimes, and the non-convertibility of several member currencies make a unified BRICS transaction currency or synchronized trade integration practically challenging.

Conclusion

To remain effective, the expanded BRICS must prioritize consensus-driven plurilateralism over bloc confrontation. India must continue to anchor the grouping as an autonomous bridge between the Global South and advanced economies, ensuring reformed multilateralism without compromising its strategic autonomy.

Key facts to remember

statistic

The expanded BRICS encompasses nearly 45% of the world's population and over 35% of global GDP in PPP terms, exceeding the G7 bloc.

— IMF World Economic Outlook
statistic

With the inclusion of major Middle Eastern and African hydrocarbon producers, the expanded grouping commands more than 40% of global crude oil output.

— Kazan Summit Briefing
case study
Egypt-Ethiopia GERD Dispute

The dispute over the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam illustrates internal bilateral friction within the expanded BRICS, requiring delicate consensus management.

Frequently asked questions

Is BRICS intended to be an anti-Western alliance?

No consensus exists on this; while Russia and Iran advocate an anti-Western stance, members like India, Brazil, and the UAE define BRICS as 'non-Western' and committed to strategic autonomy and reformed multilateralism rather than bloc confrontation.

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