BRICS, Global Order and India’s Strategic Dilemma

Context

The recent geopolitical issues with Iran and discussions of the world order in terms of powers have cast doubt on the future of the multipolar world order and the place of India in groupings like BRICS.

Key Highlights

• The changing geopolitical conflicts in West Asia and the arguments concerning the world order of power have heightened debates on the future of the international order.
• The international system which has developed after World War II has been dominated by the Western powers and institutions to a large extent.
• Nevertheless, the developing economies have tried to redefine this order by developing networks like BRICS.
• The recent Iran situation which happened recently and this grouping includes Iran, a BRIC member has raised debates on the effectiveness of such groupings in addressing global crises.

The Idea of a Multipolar World

• The idea of a multipolar world is that in the international system, power does not lie in one dominant power, but among a number of major states sharing the power between them.
• Emerging economies have been supporting multi-polarity as a way of enhancing a more inclusive and balanced global system of governance.
• Other institutions like the BRICS group have made efforts to offer an alternative to the current financial and political systems in the world.
• Other programs such as the New Development Bank are meant to enhance financial co-operation by developing countries.

Geopolitical Tensions and Iran

• Iran is also a BRICS member that has recently gained the status of an important geopolitical player in West Asia.
• News concerning the leadership in Iran such as the death of Ali Khamenei has created a response in the international arena and a discussion about the stability in the region.
• This is one of the illustrations of the fact that the West Asian region and the rest of the strategic rivalry between world powers are still volatile.
• They also highlight the compound relations between regional security concerns and global power politics.

India’s Position in Global Politics

• India has a special-purpose in the world system as an emerging power and a champion of the Global South.
• The nation is also a member of various global forums such as BRICS and the Quad Security Dialogue.
• The foreign policy of India is guided by strategic autonomy that aims at ensuring that the country makes its own decisions regarding world affairs.
• The issue of maintaining relationships with the great powers and national interests is one of the key challenges that Indian diplomacy has to manage.

Challenges for BRICS

• The BRICS expansion has given it greater geopolitical weight but has brought about new problems.
• Member states possess varying foreign policy interests and priorities.
• The inability to have similar responses to crises going on in the world is at times hampered by the differences in geopolitical alignments of the group.
• Regardless of these issues, BRICS remains a significant economic cooperation and discourse between emerging economies.

Way Forward

• Multilateral cooperation should be reinforced in order to deal with international issues like geopolitical warfare and economic turmoil.
• Initiatives such as BRICS are able to boost the linkage of the developing nations and reforms in international regulations.
• India can take a positive role in facilitating dialogue, conflict management, and inclusive growth.
• Patriotism of international law, the autonomy of strategies, and the cooperation of diplomacy will continue to play a key role in ensuring stability in the dynamic international order.

Source: The Hindu

Mains PYQ

(Q) India has recently signed to become a founding member of New Development Bank (NDB) and also the Asian Infrastructure Bank (AIIB). How will the role of the two Banks be different? Discuss the strategic significance of these two Banks for India. (2014)

• New forces are slowly overthrowing the world order as created after World War II.
• BRICS is an attempt by the developing countries to encourage a more multipolar world.
• The geopolitical trends of Iran such as those surrounding Ali Khamenei have increased the arguments on global power politics.
• The foreign policy of India remains focused on its strategic independence and participation in various forums in the world.
• Multilateral cooperation and dialogue should be increased in order to ensure global stability.

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