19-09-2026: Indian Prime Minister and host of the 18th BRICS Summit Narendra Modi described the 20th anniversary of the confederation as a moment of its “coming of age” and argued that its growing ambitions must carry greater responsibility. He stated that reform of the United Nations (UN) Security Council could no longer be postponed, and within international financial institutions voting power, leadership and policy priorities should reflect contemporary economic realities.[1] The BRICS alliance now comprises ten full member states – Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – and ten partner states: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. (Some claim that Saudi Arabia is a full member of BRICS, but in fact it has neither accepted nor rejected the invitation to join.) BRICS members together account for 55.61% of world population, 44% of world GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and 43.93% of the global economy when measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).[2]
New Delhi Declaration
Xi Jinping, the President of the socialistic People’s Republic of China (PRC), delivered an address which called on BRICS to be a peacemaker in the Middle East, stating that the (US led war on Iran) “does not serve the common interests of the international community”. In 2027, the PRC will assume the rotating presidency of BRICS and will propose during its time in this role to build momentum and further develop multipolarity through the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilisation Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative.[3] These goals are aimed to be developed through genuine multilateralism. Xi Jinping’s strong ally, the Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent three days in India for the Summit, which is unusual for a leader overseeing defence of his state against NATO’s proxy war via Ukraine. In response to a question, President Putin chose the BRICS platform to issue his bluntest warning to the warmongering West yet. He stated that if Europe sends any troops into Ukraine in any capacity, they will find themselves at war with Russia.[4]
The US led proxy war on Russia via Ukraine was left out of the New Delhi Declaration, as was direct mention of the US led war on Iran. Nevertheless, the declaration adopted contained 140 points, the longest one yet issued by BRICS, and it was unanimous. This was a significant achievement in itself, given the fact that Iran and the UAE are effectively on different sides in relation to Trump’s war on the Islamic Republic, and many other differences between 20 member countries across the globe. Point 16 of the declaration recognises the 1955 Bandung Asian African Conference which was held at the time in Indonesia and launched the Non-Aligned Movement. The declaration heralds the “Bandung Spirit” which provides a reference for a “fairer, more inclusive and representative multilateral system”.[5] Multilateralism, as opposed to Western unilateralism, is heavily emphasised throughout the declaration.
Demands for a just world
The New Delhi declaration arguably reads as a set of demands for a just world. The declaration expresses deep concern over rising tensions in the Middle East/West Asia, diplomatically avoiding mention of the US war on Iran. Once again, BRICS declared its support for Palestine and effectively called for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine based on the 1967 borders. However, it went further and stated opposition to the forced displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. The declaration goes on to demand that Israel withdraw from Lebanon. It also expresses support for the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.[6] This is apt, as Syria is currently being struck by nation-wide demonstrations against the US installed effective ISIS “government”. Point 27 expresses deep concern over the unilateral blockade on BRICS member state Cuba,[7] again using diplomacy to avoid mentioning the government of the United States, which is imposing the siege.
After immense pressure from Washington on India and Brazil, progress towards an alternative BRICS currency has stalled. However, de-dollarisation (building alternatives to the use of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency) did progress via other means. The New Delhi Summit did advance work on cross border payment interoperability. In other words, efforts to make cross border payments amongst BRICS members faster, cheaper and safer while encouraging the use of local currencies for trade settlements. Much trade between BRICS states is already conducted in local currencies, which reduces demands for US dollars. With almost half of the world beginning to trade in their own currency, the dominant position of the US and the West over the world’s financial institutions which it has enjoyed since the end of World War II is coming to an end. The BRICS group also welcomed the growing role of the New Development Bank (the “BRICS bank”) and encouraged it to further fund development projects.[8]
People of the world are reckoning with the decline and near collapse of US imperialism and its European allies. The West’s centuries long dominance over the planet is approaching, and everyone can see it. The imperialist unipolar world is fading, and the progressive multipolar world is rising. BRICS may be the premier institution of rising multipolarity, but it is far from the only one. Two weeks before the New Delhi BRICS Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held its Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The SCO began as a security organisation, but it is now building financial alternatives also. BRICS is primarily based on economics and finance but is taking on more and more of a political dimension. The decaying institutions of Western capitalism – such as the G7 and NATO, are being eclipsed and are being reduced to relics of a senescent era.
Workers have a stake in the defence of the multipolar world against the ravages of an ailing imperialism. In broad historical outlines, the decline of imperialist unipolarity and the rise of non-imperialist multipolarity roughly corresponds to the supersession of capitalism and the forward march of socialism. Of course this is not automatic by any means, and Marxist leadership will be required to guide working people through the portal of multipolarity to the better world we deserve. Imperialism means war and economic ruin, but the rising multilateral world portends a potential future of peace and prosperity.
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[1] www.openthemagazine.com/india/brics-comes-of-age-modi-pushes-for-global-reform-deadlines-delivery (16-09-2026)
[2] www.geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/04/brics-expansion-population-gdp-vietnam/ (16-09-2026)
[3] www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/brics-summit-2026-xi-jinping-calls-on-brics-nations-to-take-on-peace-maker-role-amid-west-asia-conflict (16-09-2026)
[4] www.military-stuff.org/putin-warns-russia-and-europe-at-war-if-europe-troops-enter-ukraine-big-houthi-victory-brics-meets/ (16-09-2026)
[5] www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/brics-new-delhi-declaration-building-for-resilience-innovation-cooperation-and-sustainability-september-12-2026/ (16-09-2026)
[6] Ibid, 5.
[7] Ibid, 5.
[8] www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/Sep/11/finance-chiefs-at-brics-push-cross-border-payments-local-currency-settlements (16-09-2026)
Image: http://www.newsonair.gov.in
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