At the 17th annual BRICS summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out an ambitious vision for the future of the bloc, signaling that India’s 2026 chairmanship would mark a turning point. With a renewed focus on the Global South and a proposed rebranding of BRICS as “Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability,” Modi’s remarks underscore a strategic shift-one that seeks to enhance the group’s relevance in a rapidly evolving global order.

Modi’s assertion that India will “define BRICS in a new form” reflects both a rhetorical and substantive attempt to expand the group’s influence, particularly among developing nations that have long felt marginalized by Western-dominated institutions. The Indian leader emphasized a “people-centric” and “humanity first” agenda, echoing India’s G20 presidency in 2023, where it highlighted the concerns of the Global South.

“Just as, during our G-20 chairmanship, we gave priority to the issues of the Global South in the agenda, similarly during our chairmanship of BRICS, we will take this forum forward in the spirit of people-centricity and humanity first,” Modi told fellow leaders during the summit’s plenary session.

This recalibration comes at a crucial moment for BRICS. Originally founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China-with South Africa joining in 2010-the bloc has recently expanded its membership to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and most recently Indonesia. More than 30 additional countries have applied to join the alliance, signaling growing interest in an........

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