BRICS summit: Is the bloc truly challenging a Western-dominated world?

Key Points:

• The upcoming BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi aims to find consensus on the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, highlighting divisions within the bloc as Iran and the UAE are on opposing sides.
• BRICS, consisting of emerging economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and newer members including Iran and the UAE, was created to challenge the Western-led global order but has struggled to present a coherent alternative.
• While BRICS wields significant economic influence, accounting for nearly half the world’s population and 40% of global output, its collective power is limited by internal divisions and continued reliance on the US dollar.
• The bloc has succeeded in providing Global South countries with alternative platforms for trade, investment, and development financing outside Western institutions, though it lacks unified foreign policy or defense commitments.
• Despite internal disagreements, especially on geopolitical conflicts, BRICS’s expansion and continued relevance indicate a shifting multipolar global system that complicates Western dominance rather than outright replacing it.