India's BRICS Presidency: Vital Balancing Force in Geopolitical Instability

"India remains the organization's 'responsible adult'. New Delhi places importance on preventing BRICS from becoming an overtly anti-Israel forum or a space dominated exclusively by the Chinese axis and elements hostile to Israel. India's presidency ensures that the organisation will continue to focus on economic and infrastructure issues, thereby providing Jerusalem with an essential diplomatic safeguard. Israel must capitalize on India's strategic autonomy to ensure that its interests are preserved on the international stage, even as global blocs are reshaped," Oshrit Birvadker wrote for the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS).

Birvadker, an expert in India-Israel, India-Gulf, and Indo-Pacific relations, highlighted that India's BRICS presidency could serve as a vital buffer for Israel against the organisation's increasing politicization.

"Marking the dawn of 2026, India has officially taken charge of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) presidency, assuming leadership of the expanded bloc at a critical and sensitive geopolitical juncture. The unveiling of the official logo and website on January 6 by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar marks the beginning of a complex undertaking: an effort to prioritise the interests of the 'Global South' amid clashing internal agendas and mounting diplomatic pressure from Washington," the JISS report stated.

Birvadker detailed that India's presidency is being shaped by two dramatic variables that are redefining the international arena: the transactional, America-centric approach that defines US foreign policy, and the intensifying contest over the meaning and boundaries of 'multipolarity'.

According to the report, for Israel, a nation historically aligned with the West and situated at the core of the East, India's 2026 BRICS leadership represents both an "opportunity and a strategic challenge".

"In an international system polarised between traditional Western loyalties and the economic ascent of the East, India serves as a vital balancing force. New Delhi's ability to temper anti-Western tendencies within the bloc and prevent its weaponization as a political tool makes its presidency a vital anchor for Jerusalem in preserving its diplomatic maneuverability - even if, in the final analysis, Israel's affinity for the US remains too profound to permit a truly balanced policy," the opinion piece emphasised.

India's role in BRICS and its current presidency, the report said, underscores its commitment to promote a multipolar world order with India as a central pillar. At the same time, it noted, New Delhi seeks to ensure that the organisation does not become a tool of Chinese dominance and avoids adopting an overtly confrontational or anti-Western stance.

"Since adopting a proactive foreign policy rooted in multi-alignment, New Delhi has skillfully leveraged the benefits of bilateral cooperation with various powers while playing a central role in multilateral forums such as the Quad-alongside the US, Australia, and Japan-clearly aimed at balancing China's influence. While this is not India's first time at the helm of BRICS, it assumes the current presidency at a juncture of unprecedented geopolitical instability and global uncertainty," the report mentioned.

- IANS