BRICS Summit Tests Unity Amid Ukraine, Iran, Dollar Push — SkimNews
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- BRICS holds a summit in New Delhi with leaders from 11 countries, including Russia, China, and Iran, as the expanded bloc faces challenges in unifying over global conflicts.
- India hosts the summit aiming to balance relations with China and Russia while deepening ties with the U.S. and Western partners, avoiding alignment with an anti-Western stance.
- China and Russia maintain strong support for Iran in international forums, contrasting with India’s cautious approach and Gulf states’ regional tensions with Tehran.
- BRICS members discuss reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar through local currency trade and alternative payment systems, driven by Western sanctions on Russia but hindered by economic disparities.
- Praveen Donthi notes BRICS struggles to mediate conflicts due to the Global South’s diversity, with competing regional ambitions among members like India-China and Iran-Saudi Arabia.
- Mahesh Sachdev argues BRICS must develop a more cohesive attitude to avoid becoming a 'talking shop,' emphasizing incremental cooperation over direct confrontation with Western financial systems.
Why it matters: BRICS’ ability to deliver practical outcomes—like financial alternatives to the dollar or unified diplomacy—will determine its relevance. Without cohesion, its expansion risks exposing fractures rather than amplifying influence, especially as India leverages the forum to engage China while preserving strategic autonomy.
Ask SkimNews
