Russia's Putin arrives in India as BRICS leaders begin talks

The BRICS summit has opened at Bharat Mandapam, with leaders representing almost half the world's population, 40% of global GDP, and over a quarter of global trade. Narendra Modi, Russia's Vladimir Putin, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto, China's Xi Jinping, and the UN Secretary-General will attend.

The geopolitics of the meeting is exceptional and almost audacious. The real test is whether India brings an idea to the meeting or is simply a venue for others' ideas. Surjit Bhalla suggests India should look West, but this is not grand strategy. BRICS is imbalanced, with China pushing for new members and Russia and Iran most interested in de-dollarising their trade.

The international system and Asia should not be organized around a single axis. India has the opportunity to change what BRICS stands for by working to create more choices and alternatives, such as interoperability protocols for fast-payment systems, reforming the New Development Bank governance, and promoting principles-based statements on issues like Ukraine and Gaza.

By doing so, Asia can move towards a Kautilyan compromise, with a circle of states that can disagree and still cooperate, preserving sovereignty and avoiding hegemony.