BRICS Summit in New Delhi Signals Shift Towards Global Order 'Course Correction'

The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi, concluded with a powerful message from its member states, signaling a collective push for a "course correction" in the global order and challenging the hegemony of the US-led West. A significant achievement of the summit was India's successful mediation to secure a unanimous endorsement of a joint declaration, overcoming previous internal disagreements. Notably, consensus was reached despite divergent views among members regarding the condemnation of attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States. All parties made significant compromises to produce a statement acceptable to every member. The resulting declaration positions BRICS as an evolving platform for its members to transition from being "rule takers" to "rule makers." It strongly criticized US trade and sanctions practices, denouncing unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort trade and violate WTO rules. Furthermore, it condemned unilateral economic and secondary sanctions imposed outside the authority of the UN Security Council, characterizing them as contrary to international law and detrimental to the development, health, and food security of affected populations, particularly in the Global South. China secured a strong condemnation of unilateral sanctions, many of which are directed against it. Russia, meanwhile, managed to have the Ukraine war omitted from the declaration. India, on the other hand, successfully incorporated its long-standing concerns about cross-border terrorism, terrorism financing, and safe havens for terrorist groups. The declaration explicitly condemned the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, and called for combating the cross-border movement of terrorists. Additionally, the declaration expressed concern about escalating tensions in West Asia and condemned deliberate attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities operating under IAEA safeguards as violations of international law, implicitly criticizing actions by Israel and the United States against Iran. The document also extensively addressed the Palestine issue, condemning forced displacement, starvation as a method of warfare, and attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, while reaffirming support for Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. This declaration aligns with India's narrative that BRICS is not anti-American or anti-Western but an endeavor by states to address common challenges and pursue shared interests, positioning itself as a contributor to the maintenance and evolution of the international order. Source: The Diplomat Indonesia