The New Delhi BRICS Summit It's Buffet

Conflict Tracker

Geopolitics The BRICS summit concluded in New Delhi on September 13 with a joint declaration and a familiar strategic compromise: members agreed on expanding their international influence while avoiding positions that would expose their competing interests. Securing consensus was itself an achievement, particularly with Iran and the United Arab Emirates sharing the table amid regional conflict. So overall, nothing majorly new – which I did not expect.

The declaration called for restraint in the Middle East and diplomatic dispute resolution. Members also criticised unilateral trade restrictions. These positions provided common ground, but offered limited evidence that BRICS could translate collective concern into coordinated pressure or an enforceable settlement. And this is where the real underlying issue arises with BRICS – the difficulty of building a shared foreign policy among governments with different security relationships and economic dependencies.

On the positive side of the agenda was economic cooperation which produced more substantial results. Discussions covered greater use of local currencies, interoperability between central bank digital currencies, and stronger representation for emerging economies in international institutions. However, disagreement over payment infrastructure (including India’s resistance to China’s mBridge platform) showed that reducing reliance on Western systems does not automatically mean accepting Chinese alternatives.

Agriculture delivered more specific outcomes but of course did not get the limelight. Including cooperation on agricultural inputs and genetic resources, regenerative farming, digital agriculture, and farmers’ seed rights. These initiatives offer practical avenues for exchanging expertise and improving resilience, although their value will depend on implementation beyond summit announcements.

So again, I would reiterate that the summit suggests that BRICS remains most effective as a bargaining forum. Its members can advance selected economic projects and amplify demands for reform, but shared dissatisfaction with the existing order still exceeds agreement over its replacement.

Bonus Note: India’s hospitality also generated an unintended side debate: the vegetarian banquet became a political controversy – lacking staff, cleanliness and professionalism. It’s even alleged that Xi skipped dinner, reportedly returning to his hotel to rest; there is no verified evidence of a food-related walkout. For a summit selling global cooperation, having the menu compete with the communiqué was an unfortunate communications outcome. Apparently, agreeing on a multipolar world is easier than keeping everyone around the dinner table.