India’s Trial by Fire
When the calendar turned to January 1, 2026, it did not mark just another passage of time. It signalled a deeper tectonic shift in global geopolitics. Fresh from the widely acknowledged success of its G20 presidency, India’s assumption of the BRICS chair made one reality unmistakably clear: the world is no longer willing to revolve around a single axis of power.
This is an age of transition—one in which multipolarity is being born, but the labour is painful and prolonged. Great-power rivalry has reached a fever pitch, the soul of multilateralism is gasping for breath, and the spectre of unilateralism has once again begun to stalk the international system. Institutions meant to mediate cooperation are under strain, global norms are being weaponised, and economic interdependence is increasingly treated as a vulnerability rather than a shared asset.
In such a fraught moment, India’s stewardship of BRICS is not a diplomatic formality. It is a solemn responsibility—a pledge to safeguard the dignity, voice, and agency of the Global South. New Delhi faces a dual challenge: on one hand, it must preserve unity within an expanded and ideologically diverse BRICS grouping; on the other, it must contend with a Washington increasingly willing to weaponise trade, finance, and institutions to enforce compliance.
For India, 2026 is not merely a year of chairmanship. It is a moral contest—a struggle to defend justice, equity, and democratic global governance in an increasingly fractured world order.
“America First” versus “Humanity First”
The most striking contradiction on the horizon of 2026 is the clash between two irreconcilable worldviews. On one side stands Washington, where President Donald Trump’s revived mantra of “America First” once again dominates foreign and economic policy. This doctrine is built on protectionism, tariff wars, disdain for international institutions, and a transactional view of global engagement. On the other side stands New Delhi, carrying the civilisational ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world as one family—and articulating a vision of “Humanity First.” This is not rhetorical idealism; it is a worldview rooted in India’s historical experience, anti-colonial legacy, and democratic pluralism.
Ironically, 2026 also finds the United States holding the presidency of the G20. This coincidence transforms the year into a strategic Kurukshetra. For the past four years, leadership of the G20 rested with developing countries, pushing issues such as poverty reduction, inequality, climate justice, and sustainable development to the centre of global discourse.
There is now a real danger that Washington may use the G20 platform to reassert narrow national priorities while marginalising the concerns of the Global South. In such a scenario, BRICS—under India’s leadership—emerges as the sole remaining fortress capable of defending the developmental agenda of emerging economies. India must ensure that issues Washington would prefer to sideline—climate finance, debt distress, development equity, and technological access—remain firmly embedded in the global conversation. This is a battle of narratives as much as of policies, and retreat is not an option.
Assault on Economic Sovereignty
President Trump has left little room for ambiguity regarding his view of BRICS. He perceives the grouping as a threat to American economic primacy, particularly to the dominance of the US dollar. His warning of imposing 100 percent tariffs on any country that challenges dollar supremacy is not economic policy—it is economic coercion.
Where the Obama and Biden administrations approached BRICS with cautious scepticism, the Trump administration has adopted open hostility. For India, this creates a delicate diplomatic tightrope. New Delhi has no interest in transforming BRICS into an explicitly anti-Western bloc, yet it cannot accept the erosion of its own—or its partners’—economic sovereignty.
India’s chosen theme for its BRICS presidency—“Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Stability”—is a direct response to this challenge. It signals a commitment to collaboration without confrontation, autonomy without antagonism. India must use the BRICS platform to deepen intra-group trade to such an extent that the impact of unilateral tariffs becomes negligible. Expanding trade in local currencies, restructuring supply chains, and dismantling non-tariff barriers within BRICS are no longer optional strategies; they are economic imperatives.
This is India’s opportunity to demonstrate who truly upholds a rules-based trading system. Not a protectionist superpower, but a coalition of emerging economies committed to fairness, openness, and mutual benefit.
Climate Justice
Climate change sits at the apex of India’s BRICS agenda—but not through a Western lens. India frames the debate through the principle of climate justice. The West demands that developing countries curb emissions at the cost of their growth, even as historically high emitters evade responsibility for financing the transition.
India’s bid to host COP33 in 2028, backed by BRICS partners, is not merely a logistical proposal. It is an attempt to reshape the climate discourse itself. India insists that the conversation must move beyond emission targets toward development-centred climate action. For the Global South, energy transition must be just, gradual, and adequately financed. Climate responsibility cannot be divorced from historical accountability. Developed nations must shoulder their fair share of climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building.Through BRICS, India must ensure that this message resonates loudly in Western capitals. Climate action that entrenches inequality is not action—it is injustice.
Reforming Institutions
While the Trump administration appears intent on undermining or abandoning global institutions—the UN, World Bank, IMF, and WTO—India’s approach is fundamentally different. India acknowledges that these institutions are outdated and unrepresentative, but it rejects the idea that chaos is a viable alternative.
India’s objective is reform, not rupture. It seeks to democratise global governance by securing meaningful representation for the Global South. Whether it is permanent membership of the UN Security Council or quota reform in the IMF, India intends to leverage BRICS’ collective strength to challenge Western monopolies over global decision-making. India’s message is unambiguous: the existing order need not be destroyed, but it must be transformed. Legitimacy flows from representation, not from inherited privilege.
Terrorism and the Politics of Double Standards
On terrorism, BRICS has historically been more declaratory than decisive. China, in particular, has often shielded Pakistan for strategic reasons, undermining collective action. India’s previous presidencies, however, succeeded in establishing terrorism as a shared threat rather than a selective concern. In 2026, India cannot be expected to engineer a sudden change of heart in Beijing. But it can position BRICS as a norm-setting forum—one that rejects selective outrage and demands consistency.
If BRICS is to retain relevance, it must respect the core security concerns of its members. Terrorism cannot be contextualised, justified, or ignored. India must push firmly for this principle, even at the cost of diplomatic discomfort.
Expansion and India’s Balancing Responsibility
Since 2023, BRICS has expanded to include countries such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and potentially Indonesia. This enlargement has enhanced the grouping’s global weight, but it has also complicated internal coherence. China views expansion as an opportunity to extend its geopolitical influence and reshape BRICS into a China-centric bloc. This is precisely where India’s role becomes decisive. India must ensure that expansion remains consensus-driven, not ambition-driven. It must harmonise the interests of old and new members while preserving BRICS’ foundational identity as an economic forum and a collective voice of the Global South—not a military or ideological alliance. India’s strategic autonomy depends on maintaining this balance.
India as Vishwaguru
In sum, India’s BRICS presidency in 2026 is a crown of thorns—but also a rare opportunity to demonstrate statesmanship. New Delhi’s creative diplomacy will be tested against Washington’s weaponised statecraft.
India must avoid both direct confrontation with the United States and subservience to China. It must blend the Buddha’s Middle Path with Chanakya’s strategic realism. India does not seek dominance; it seeks equity. It does not aspire to command, but to convene. If India can unite the Global South through BRICS, chart new trade pathways beyond tariff walls, and keep the flame of climate justice alive, 2026 will be remembered as a watershed year.
It will be the year the world witnessed how civilisational values defeated the arrogance of power—and how cooperation triumphed over coercion. India is no longer merely an emerging power. It has become a lodestar, guiding a fractured world toward balance, dignity, and shared prosperity.