Main takeaway from Brics Summit: India holds best geopolitical position globally, says expert

The just-concluded Brics Summit in Kazan, Russia, has underscored India’s unparalleled geopolitical position, with prominent global political risk expert Ian Bremmer praising the country’s strategic standing.  

In a post on X, Bremmer highlighted India’s leadership role in the Global South, its stabilising relations with China, and its strong relations across G7 nations, with Canada being a notable exception. Bremmer’s assertion that “no other major economy is close to being friends with pretty much everyone” succinctly captures India’s unique global positioning.

Modi called for “quickly” restoring peace and stability between Russia and Ukraine, and denounced double-speak by some nations on terrorism in a veiled attack on China, which continues to shield Pakistan despite the establishment in Islamabad continuing to support and shelter terror groups with professed enmity towards India.

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India’s diplomatic balancing act at the Brics Summit

The 2024 Brics Summit saw Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi engage in high-profile talks with world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi’s discussions with Xi were particularly noteworthy, marking their first formal bilateral talks in five years.  

Modi-Xi dialogue happened against the backdrop of the two countries theoretically resolving a four-year-long military standoff through more than 30 rounds of corp commander-level talks. It reflects India’s efforts to stabilise relations with its northern neighbour while maintaining its role as a global mediator, given the calls from both pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine camps for New Delhi to find a way to end the war. .

During the summit, Modi also held talks with Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian and reaffirmed India’s commitment to global peace. In what looked aimed at China’s geopolitical strategy in Pakistan, Modi called for an end to double standards on terrorism, particularly criticising nations that shield Islamabad despite its continued patronage of terror groups hostile to India.

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What Bremmer said

In a post on X, the American political scientist and geostrategy expert wrote, “[The] main takeaway from Brics Summit: India holds [the] best geopolitical position globally.”  

He went on to list India’s geopolitical advantage as its “leadership role in Global South,  stabilising relations with China, strong relations across G7 (excluding Canada), [and] friendly with Russia [with] no backlash from West”.

“No other major economy is close to being friends with pretty much everyone,” Bremmer wrote on X, summing up India’s foreign policy compared to other global powers.

This has been a long journey in the evolution of India’s foreign policy. What Bremmer said is similar to what India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described earlier this year, pitching New Delhi as a “bridging power”.  

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation in February this year, Jaishankar said India is a bridging power in many ways as he advocated multilateralism.

“Very literally in our first year of Independence, we put our trust in multilateralism and took the Kashmir aggression issue to the UN and others made it into an accession issue. And they did it for geopolitical reasons. The fact is that if you say they are playing multilateralism, they always did. We have grown up,”

Strategic partnership and Quad relations

India’s deft geopolitical strategy was further exemplified by Modi’s participation in the sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit, held in Wilmington, Delaware, US, in September 2024. The Quad, comprising Australia, Japan, India, and the United States, is central to India’s efforts to bolster security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.  

The Quad’s purpose of countering revisionist powers, particularly China, aligns with India’s broader strategic goals, and Modi’s involvement in this summit signals India’s commitment to a rules-based order in the region.

Nevertheless, the focus of global analysts was on India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, whose September visit to Russia for the Brics NSA meeting included critical talks with both Putin and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.  

These meetings were of high significance, as India aims to balance its strategic ties with both the US and China. Doval’s reputation as a nimble and imaginative diplomat has been central to India’s ability to navigate the complex web of global diplomacy, particularly in a world that is increasingly defined by great power rivalry.  

Doval’s talks with Wang might have played a role in reaching disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, where military stand-off began in April-May 2020 and saw the bloodiest clash between the troops of the two sides in the Galwan Valley, leading to the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese personnel.

India’s role as a peace-maker

India’s growing influence on the global stage is not limited to its economic and military clout. It is increasingly positioning itself as a peacemaker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Modi’s visit to Moscow in July 2024 was an important step in this regard, despite harsh criticism from Ukraine. During the BRICS Summit, Modi reiterated his call for a swift resolution to the conflict, offering India’s services as a mediator or dialogue facilitator.

Doval’s recent meetings with Russian President Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron indicate India’s eagerness to play a larger role in resolving global conflicts. France, an important European ally, was briefed on India’s peace efforts, which underscores India’s growing involvement in global diplomacy. India’s willingness to shoulder the responsibility of peace-making initiatives, despite criticism from Ukraine, is a testament to its rising global stature.

Further, India’s ability to maintain strong relationships with both the US and Russia, while also engaging China, speaks to its unique diplomatic position. This balancing act is particularly crucial in the wake of Russia’s increasing reliance on China as its main geopolitical partner.  

While Russia’s pivot towards China has raised concerns in New Delhi, India has remained pragmatic, carefully navigating its relationship with Moscow while maintaining its strategic autonomy.

Russia’s embrace of China and its impact on India

India’s relationship with Russia, one of its longest-standing diplomatic partnerships, has become more complex due to Russia’s deepening ties with China. Russia’s shift towards Beijing, primarily driven by its geopolitical contest with the West, has created new challenges for India.  

Moscow’s increasingly close partnership with Beijing has led to a realignment of priorities, with China emerging as Russia’s foremost ally.

This realignment has caused concern in India, particularly as Russia’s attention has shifted away from balancing relations with India and China. Moscow’s failure to address India’s concerns regarding China’s actions on their shared Himalayan borders has further strained the relationship.  

China’s active support for Pakistan, especially in elevating terrorism as a tool of statecraft, remains a major concern for India, and Russia’s reluctance to address this issue has added to India’s diplomatic challenges.

Despite these challenges, India has not severed ties with Russia. Instead, it has pursued a pragmatic approach, leveraging its long-standing military ties with Moscow while also deepening its strategic relationship with the US.  

India’s ability to maintain these delicate relationships speaks to its geopolitical prowess and its commitment to strategic autonomy.

The future of India’s global role

India’s growing influence on the world stage is evident in its leadership role within the Global South and its expanding role as a mediator in global conflicts. While the West may have criticised India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil and its reluctance to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine, India has made it clear that its foreign policy is driven by strategic interests, not ideological alignment.

This pragmatic approach has allowed India to maintain its position as a friend to all, while also pursuing its own national interests. As Bremmer pointed out, no other major economy enjoys such widespread diplomatic goodwill. India’s ability to navigate the complex geopolitics of the contemporary world, balancing relationships with major powers like the US, Russia, and China, reflects the maturity and strength of its diplomatic dexterity.

Looking ahead, India’s challenge will be to continue playing a leadership role in the Global South while maintaining its strategic autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world. The Brics Summit has highlighted India’s unique geopolitical position, and with the Modi government emphasising on multilateralism that suits its independent foreign policy approach, India is poised to continue influencing global diplomacy going forward.