Does the BRICS summit signify a shift for Indian foreign policy?
Experts discuss whether the 2026 New Delhi Declaration and India's engagement with BRICS nations signal a return to non-alignment or a strategic shift in foreign policy. The conversation explores the balance between maintaining strategic autonomy and navigating a multipolar world order.
Why it matters
Understanding India's evolving geopolitical stance is crucial for analyzing global power dynamics and future international relations.
With a strong pushback against unilateral western sanctions; criticism of Israel over the killing of civilians, the attacks on Lebanon, and the forced occupation of Palestinian territory; and support for UN reform as well as a BRICS payment mechanism, the New Delhi Declaration of 2026 has been likened to India’s foreign policy from its non-aligned past. But was it a compromise by New Delhi to build consensus, or will the statement, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close engagement with the leaders of Iran, Russia, and China, have a bearing on India’s foreign policy? Ajay Bisaria and Happymon Jacob discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Suhasini Haidar .
Is the New Delhi declaration a return to non-alignment or just momentary rhetoric?
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