India’s BRICS presidency: Navigating multipolarity amid ‘America First’ pressures |
India’s assumption of the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2026, comes at a defining moment in global politics. Following its widely noted stewardship of the G20 in 2023, New Delhi now faces the challenge of guiding another influential multilateral platform through a period marked by geopolitical fragmentation, intensifying great power rivalry, and a visible erosion of faith in multilateralism. India’s leadership of BRICS unfolds against the backdrop of a renewed “America First” posture under US President Donald Trump, whose administration views BRICS not merely as a forum of emerging economies, but as a strategic challenge to US economic and institutional dominance.
This convergence of circumstances places India’s BRICS presidency at the intersection of two competing global visions: one centered on unilateralism, protectionism, and weaponization of economic instruments; the other rooted in cooperation, development, and the collective aspirations of the Global South.
The BRICS grouping-originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-was conceived as a platform to amplify the voice of major emerging economies within global governance. Over the years, BRICS has positioned itself as an advocate of multipolarity and reform rather than rejection of the existing international order. However, the global environment in 2026 is far more volatile than when BRICS was first established.
Multilateralism is increasingly under strain. Universal, rules-based cooperation has given way to selective, interest-driven alignments. Sanctions, tariffs, export controls, and restrictions on technology and critical minerals have become tools of statecraft rather than last-resort measures. In this context, BRICS must redefine its relevance while managing the complexities arising from its recent expansion.
India’s presidency therefore represents both an opportunity and a test: an opportunity to reassert the developmental and cooperative ethos of BRICS, and a test of whether the bloc can maintain coherence and effectiveness amid internal diversity and external pressure.
India has articulated its 2026 BRICS agenda under the theme “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation........