The 2026 Delhi summit of BRICS has been under a spotlight this weekend, and things under a spotlight tend to look bigger and brighter than they actually are. Eleven members, a dozen invitees, Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting India after seven years, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sharing a table with crown prince of Abu Dhabi — this assembly of heavy weights in a world in turmoil has once again generated speculations that it could emerge as a counter pole to the US. The media commentary has generally tended to portray the summit as a moment of great geopolitical consequence. In reality, the summit is far more modest, and the Indian agenda, quite realistically, reflects that.
