India’s Brics Strategy: Walking the Tightrope of Autonomy and Alliance

Abstract

India’s engagement with the BRICS grouping, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, reflects a complex balancing act between fostering non-Western multilateral solidarity and preserving strategic autonomy. This article examines India’s BRICS strategy through the dual lens of realist international relations theory and its historical commitment to strategic autonomy, evolving from Nehruvian non-alignment to present-day multi-alignment. While India shares BRICS’ objectives of reforming global governance institutions and amplifying the voice of the Global South, it remains cautious of China’s dominant position within the bloc and wary of being drawn into an overtly anti-Western coalition.