"Potential G3 Summit Casts Shadow Over BRICS and India's Strategic Position"
Multi-alignment
India's strategy of engaging multiple, overlapping groupings simultaneously without binding alliance commitments.
Strategic autonomy
India's foreign policy doctrine of preserving freedom of action across competing power blocs.
BRICS began as BRIC in 2006, when the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China held their first formal dialogue on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The first leaders' summit took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, completing the BRICS acronym. The grouping's founding premise was that the existing international order, shaped by Western-led institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank, and the UN Security Council, did not adequately represent the economic weight of large emerging economies.
The grouping's most concrete institutional achievement is the New Development Bank (NDB), headquartered in Shanghai, proposed by India at the 2012 New Delhi summit. A companion mechanism, the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), a $100 billion currency swap pool, provides short-term liquidity support to members facing balance-of-payments stress. These two institutions gave BRICS real financial architecture beyond declarations.
At the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, the grouping admitted new members, with Indonesia joining as the 11th full member in January 2025. This expansion, while symbolically significant, has introduced structural tensions. The consensus principle that kept the original five members cohesive is under pressure from a more diverse membership with sharply divergent interests. The structural tension between the US-led West and the Russo-Chinese bloc in multilateral institutions, visible in the deadlock over UN Security Council reform, now plays out inside BRICS itself, as Russia and China simultaneously challenge Western dominance in multilateral forums while quietly seeking bilateral accommodation with Washington. This dual posture is the central contradiction the G3 thesis exposes.
India's engagement in BRICS has always been shaped by its doctrine of strategic autonomy, rooted in the Non-Aligned Movement tradition. This has evolved into multi-alignment: simultaneous, active participation in overlapping groupings including BRICS, the G20, the Quad, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). India's vision for BRICS was always reform-oriented, not revisionist. It sought a more equitable multilateral order, not the dismantling of one.
BRICS operates on the principle of consensus, meaning every major decision requires agreement from all members. This was manageable with five members sharing broadly similar grievances against the Western-led order. Expansion to eleven members has made consensus harder. The grouping now includes countries with active bilateral conflicts of interest: Iran and the UAE are fellow BRICS members despite Iran's attacks on UAE-linked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the UAE's close security ties with the United States and Israel.
The de-dollarisation debate is a recurring fault line. Russia and China push for BRICS to develop alternative payment systems and reduce dependence on the US dollar. India has been cautious, recognising that a premature rupture with dollar-denominated trade could harm its own economic interests and damage relations with the United States and Europe. …
Consider the following statements with regard to BRICS:
I.16th BRICS Summit was held under the Chairship of Russia in Kazan.
II.Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS.
III.The theme of the 16th BRICS Summit was 'Strengthening Multiculturalism for Just Global Development and Security'.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 'Fortaleza Declaration', recently in the news, is related to the affairs of
India is a member of which among the following?
1.Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
2.Association of South-East Asian Nations
3.East Asia Summit
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
'The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance.' Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard.
Consider the following statements about BRICS:
1.Indonesia joined BRICS as its 11th full member in January 2025.
2.The 16th BRICS Summit was held under Russia's chairship in Kazan.
3.The New Development Bank (NDB) is headquartered in Beijing.
4.The Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is a $100 billion currency swap pool.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Match the following BRICS institutional achievements with their correct descriptions:
List I (Institution/Mechanism) — List II (Key Feature)
A.New Development Bank — 1. Proposed by India at the 2012 New Delhi summit; headquartered in Shanghai
B.Contingent Reserve Arrangement — 2. A $100 billion currency swap pool for balance-of-payments support
C.Fortaleza Declaration — 3. Announced the establishment of both the NDB and CRA at the 2014 Brazil summit
D.Kazan Summit — 4. 16th BRICS Summit under Russia's chairship; Indonesia admitted as 11th member
Select the correct match:
With reference to India's membership in international groupings, consider the following:
1.India is a member of the East Asia Summit.
2.India is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
3.India is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
4.India is a member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the 'Fortaleza Declaration' in the context of BRICS?
Consider the following statements about the emerging 'G3' concept discussed in the context of global governance:
1.A G3 directorate would involve the United States, China, and Russia as co-equal managers of the international order.
2.Russia was previously part of the G8 before being suspended following the annexation of Crimea.
3.A G3 summit, if held, would strengthen BRICS's role as the primary forum for Global South leadership.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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