The latest BRICS Leaders’ Statement, emerging from the summit in Rio de Janeiro, marks a watershed moment in the bloc’s political evolution ~ and signals a rebalancing of India’s global posture. For the first time, New Delhi has lent its name to sharp language condemning unilateral sanctions, military strikes in Iran, and the use of starvation in conflict zones ~ positions that directly confront long-standing US policies. As the world tilts toward multi-polarity, India’s calibrated support for these statements is not accidental.

It reflects the shifting terrain of global influence ~ and a hardening consensus within the Global South. At the heart of the statement lies a principled rejection of coercive economic measures ~ particularly those imposed without United Nations authorisation. These so-called “secondary sanctions,” once limited in scope, have grown into tools of extraterritorial pressure with serious implications for........

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