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 prioritize the interests of the “Global South” amid clashing internal agendas and mounting diplomatic pressure from Washington. India’s presidency is being shaped by two dramatic variables that are redefining the international arena: the transactional, America-centric approach that defines U.S. foreign policy, and the intensifying contest over the meaning and boundaries of “multipolarity.” For Israel, a state historically aligned with the West yet embedded in the heart of the East, India’s leadership in 2026 represents both an opportunity and a strategic challenge.
In an international system polarized 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 U.S. remains too profound to permit a truly balanced policy.
In its early days, BRICS was frequently reduced by Western analysts to a simple economic shorthand for emerging markets aiming to offset Western financial hegemony. However, underlying this pragmatic shell was always a deeper geopolitical ambition: the demand that the Global South cease to be a passive subject of Western power and instead become the master of its own fate. With its transformation into BRICS+, the alliance has matured into a global powerhouse. This expanded coalition now accounts for half of humanity, 40% of the world’s energy resources, 30% of global GDP, and a staggering 50% of global economic growth.
On October 24, 2024, thirteen additional countries—including Algeria, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam—were invited to participate as “new partner countries.” This status allows them to take part in various BRICS initiatives and benefit from them. Whether these states have already received official invites remains uncertain, yet the prospect of them attaining full membership in the near future remains high.
India’s BRICS membership and its current presidency reflect its core national interests: fostering a multipolar world in which India stands as a central pole. Its primary mission will be to balance diverse interests and rebuild mutual trust within the global system, ensuring that despite its expansion, the bloc retains its economic essence and remains resilient against geopolitical shocks. Simultaneously, New Delhi will strive to prevent the organization from becoming a vehicle for Chinese hegemony, insisting that it avoids adopting an overtly confrontational or anti-Western posture.
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 U.S., 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.
As early as 2012, India initiated the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB), which commenced operations in 2015 under Indian leadership. During its 2016 presidency, New Delhi focused on increasing the engagement between BRICS and the G20 and on forging new synergies with the Bay of Bengal Initiative (BIMSTEC), amid the decline of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Even under the constraints of the 2021 pandemic, India led an effective virtual presidency that advanced vaccine accessibility, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability. This period underscored India’s role as a ‘net provider’ of global public goods, as its support for resilient medical supply chains and equitable vaccine research became indispensable to the bloc’s members.
Yet, the India of today is a vastly different country than in decades past. It has engaged China in direct border confrontations, solidified its status as the world’s most populous country, and proven its strategic deterrence against nuclear-armed rivals. Having overtaken Japan as the world’s fourth-largest economy, India is undergoing a historic economic ascent. New Delhi now appears determined to build on the momentum of its 2023 G20 leadership, which highlighted its distinctive capacity for consensus-building amid geopolitical fragmentation and served as a catalyst for an unprecedented projection of international soft power.
India’s 2026 leadership is set to be a transformative tenure rather than a mere administrative exercise. Building on Prime Minister Modi’s pledge at the 2025 Rio Summit to provide BRICS with a ‘new shape’ through a ‘Humanity First’ approach, New Delhi aims to institutionalize mechanisms for climate finance, poverty alleviation, and infrastructure development. This strategy serves a dual purpose: externally, it showcases India’s maturity as a global leader; internally, it fosters a national consciousness regarding India’s influence in global governance. Under the banner of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ India intends to act as a non-adversarial bridge—one that champions the vital interests of the Global South without succumbing to anti-Western rhetoric.
The logo unveiled by India’s External Affairs Minister, inspired by the lotus flower, reflects India’s civilizational ethos, symbolizing resilience and renewal. Its petals bear the colors of the BRICS member nations, representing diverse voices united by a common purpose. At the center lies the Namaste gesture, emphasizing the respect, inclusivity, and cooperation that India intends to champion throughout its tenure. The presidency will be built upon four pillars: Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability. A flagship initiative will be the promotion of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a scalable development model for the Global South, rooted in India’s own success. Rather than exporting a rigid system, India aims to promote an open-architecture model that nations can tailor to their specific needs, positioning itself as a technological leader for the developing world. A top priority remains the consolidation of the expanded BRICS format through collaboration in strategic yet less contentious areas, such as AI governance and digital trade.
Looking ahead to the 2026 presidency, New Delhi’s most complex diplomatic challenge will be skillfully navigating between its leadership of the ‘Global South’ and the preservation of its strategic interests with Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently expressed disdain for multilateral organizations, including BRICS, viewing them as threats to American sovereignty and his ‘America First’ agenda. Faced with a transactional approach that favors bilateral deals, India must maneuver carefully to secure the tariff concessions vital for its ‘Make in India’ initiative. Simultaneously, the U.S. economic decoupling from China presents a golden opportunity for India to position BRICS as a sustainable alternative trade space. Nevertheless, New Delhi will likely strive for alignment with the U.S., which notably holds the G20 presidency in 2026.
To prevent the bloc from morphing into an overtly anti-American front—an objective shared by Russia, China, and Iran—India is expected to maintain a pragmatic course of financial diversification rather than a radical abandonment of the U.S. dollar. By promoting local currency trade and adopting technologies like BRICS Pay, New Delhi will continue to strive for ‘financial resilience’ for the Global South. It aims to leverage the New Development Bank (NDB) as a counterweight to traditional institutions, all while avoiding a formal rupture with the global monetary system.
A pivotal variable in India’s presidency will be its relationship with Beijing. The friction between these two Asian giants deeply influences the bloc’s decision-making processes, creating persistent structural tension. While signs of a thaw have emerged since 2024, deep-seated mistrust remains. The conciliatory milestone—the signing of the India-China border patrol agreement in October 2024—signaled a mutual desire to prevent escalation and move toward a more stable future. However, in the realm of economic and strategic competition, tensions endure. India will undoubtedly seek to rebalance organizational dynamics that disproportionately benefit China, particularly in sectors such as agricultural exports.
Tehran-New Delhi relations, already under unprecedented Western pressure, will be further scrutinized through the BRICS lens. Earlier this year, President Trump threatened a 25% tariff on any country maintaining commercial ties with Tehran, prompting Indian officials to clarify that New Delhi may be forced to further curtail its trade with Iran. Having ceased Iranian oil purchases in 2019 and initially opposing Iran’s BRICS membership in 2024, India has demonstrated consistent risk management regarding the U.S. Although Tehran framed its accession as a major victory against isolation and sanctions, economic realities suggest otherwise. Shadowed by sanctions, with growth estimated at a mere 0.6% in 2025 and inflation exceeding 40%, BRICS offers Tehran a seat at the table without a meaningful voice. Despite promises of political solidarity, the New Development Bank’s (NDB) risk management protocols effectively keep Iran excluded from contracts and credit lines.
India’s BRICS presidency could serve as a vital buffer for Israel against the organization’s increasing politicization. Since the events of October 7, criticism of Israeli policy within the bloc has intensified, alongside Palestinian bids for membership—a move that received a significant push from China in late 2025. Palestine’s potential admission to BRICS is not merely symbolic; it represents a maneuver of ‘institutional decolonization,’ granting Palestinians their first foothold in alternative trade mechanisms and NDB funding. Such a shift threatens to undermine the historical balance of power in the conflict, positioning Israel against a diplomatic and economic front representing half the world’s population. Viewed through a global lens, China’s backing of this move serves as another tool in the struggle for global hegemony, leveraging arenas where Eastern diplomatic and energy interests converge against those of the West.
India’s leadership of BRICS is an event of profound significance for Israel from multiple perspectives. As Israel’s standing in the West erodes and currents emerging from American public discourse grow increasingly hostile, 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 organization 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. India’s 2026 BRICS presidency represents the most consequential test yet of the multipolar order, and Israel’s ability to draw on its close ties with New Delhi will be critical to maintaining its diplomatic and economic maneuvering space in the coming decade— even as the special relationship with the U.S. remains irreplaceable.
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