A recent column, “Dear Editor, I Disagree: Dialogue at BRICS is a means, not an end” (IE, September 16), argued for testing the usefulness of multilateral forums such as BRICS on the tangible outcomes they produce and not by the agency they provide for dialogue and diplomacy. The argument falls short, especially in the context of developments surrounding the West Asia war at BRICS 2026.

Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used the occasion for their first high-level bilateral meeting since the war began. Since the initiation of a dialogue cannot be expected to produce immediate settlements, its value cannot be judged by the ends it may ultimately achieve. The significance of the declaration on West Asia lies not only in what it says, but in the fact that there was a declaration at all. In such conflict, the floor provided by BRICS 2026 represents that a means can be an outcome.

A section of the analysts have compared the BRICS New Delhi Declaration 2026 with the Rio BRICS Declaration 2025. The Rio declaration condemned the military strikes against Iran as a violation of international law and the UN Charter. By........

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