Is BRICS real power or just geopolitical noise

Has BRICS expansion diluted its core power

Strategic independence in BRICS looks unlikely

Dedollarization noise or a real BRICS shift

What India must guard against in BRICS

India’s BRICS priorities under Jaishankar

How India walks BRICS West tightrope

BRICS leadership amid India China tensions

Can India balance BRICS and the US

What BRICS chairmanship delivers for India

Conclusion

Credits

India assumes the BRICS chair amid profound contradiction. What began as an emerging economies coalition has become an unwieldy 10-nation bloc including Gulf states, Egypt, and Ethiopia bound more by grievance than vision. Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist at Natixis, and former BRICS Sherpa Sanjay Bhattacharya to explore whether BRICS can deliver tangible cooperation or remain trapped in anti-Western posturing. For India, the chairmanship means navigating between dollar-defiant Russia and hegemonic China while preserving Western partnerships. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's "inclusive development" focus signals intent, but execution trumps rhetoric. The bloc's value lies in widening the negotiating table, not replacing existing systems. India's test: shaping BRICS without being shaped by it, proving genuine multipolarity requires Indian leadership, not Chinese dominance masquerading as collective action. The world watches whether Delhi extracts concrete benefits from this proving ground.

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You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media:X and Linkedin

Check out other interesting episodes like: When Grinch Almost Stole Gig Workers' Christmas, How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?, How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand and much more.

Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.

India assumes the BRICS chair amid profound contradiction. What began as an emerging economies coalition has become an unwieldy 10-nation bloc including Gulf states, Egypt, and Ethiopia bound more by grievance than vision. Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Alicia Garc&iacute;a-Herrero, chief economist at Natixis, and former BRICS Sherpa Sanjay Bhattacharya to explore whether BRICS can deliver tangible cooperation or remain trapped in anti-Western posturing. For India, the chairmanship means navigating between dollar-defiant Russia and hegemonic China while preserving Western partnerships. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's "inclusive development" focus signals intent, but execution trumps rhetoric. The bloc's value lies in widening the negotiating table, not replacing existing systems. India's test: shaping BRICS without being shaped by it, proving genuine multipolarity requires Indian leadership, not Chinese dominance masquerading as collective action. The world watches whether Delhi extracts concrete benefits from this proving ground.
Listen in: You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media:<a href="https://twitter.com/AnirbanET">X</a> and<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirban-chowdhury-b5067219/"> Linkedin </a>Check out other interesting episodes like:<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000744214065"> When Grinch Almost Stole Gig Workers' Christmas</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000742733036"> How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000740924439"> How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000738734300"> India&rsquo;s Labour Law Reboot</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777?i=1000738205536"> Viral to Valuation: Building Women&rsquo;s Cricket as a Brand</a> and<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777"> much more</a>.
Catch the latest episode of &lsquo;The Morning Brief&rsquo; on<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/podcast?from=mdr"> The Economic Times Online</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6PL5kfPbwURBEu6fHCVTOL?si=26ec0fbfa7134fea"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-morning-brief/id1568661777"> Apple Podcasts</a>,<a href="https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/the-morning-brief/1/GNPiFQD2xpY_"> JioSaavn</a>,<a href="https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/f378141f-9afb-495d-83da-9b08ec5047ac/the-morning-brief"> Amazon Music</a> and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theetpodcasts"> Youtube</a>.

To make sense of the week’s hottest stories in business, economy, politics and markets, journalists from the Economic Times chat with reporters and industry leaders in this thrice-weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) podcast.

The Morning Brief

BRICS at the Helm: India’s Moment, and Its Multilateral Test