As BRICS celebrates two decades of existence, its leaders gather in New Delhi to evaluate its journey and future. Will this coalition of emerging powers shape a new global landscape, or will its diversity become a hurdle in achieving collective goals?
Twenty years ago, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China sat down together to explore what was then an uncertain proposition: could four large emerging economies turn their growing economic weight into a meaningful voice in global affairs?
That meeting in September 2006 marked the beginning of what became known as BRIC. Five years later, South Africa joined, bringing the African continent into the grouping and turning BRIC into BRICS. What began as a cooperation mechanism among four major emerging economies has since evolved into a broader platform for strategic partnership and South-South cooperation.
BRICS has weathered scepticism, geopolitical turbulence, and repeated predictions of its demise. It has also grown into a much larger grouping, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joining in 2024, followed by Indonesia in early 2025.
As world leaders gather in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit in its 20th anniversary year, the question is no longer whether BRICS has survived — it plainly has. The more consequential question is whether it has exceeded the expectations attached to it two decades ago, and, more importantly, whether it can meet the far greater expectations now placed upon it.
