Finding Feet Amid Fragments

Navigating through geopolitical alliances following a brief conflict with Pakistan, India has an opportunity to align itself more closely with BRICS—the rising phoenix of the Global South—vis-à-vis the crumbling Western-led order represented by G7, but its pro-Western leanings pose a roadblock

- DIPANKAR DEY

Enormous quantities of water have flowed through the Indus, Ganga, Volga, and Huang He Rivers during the last six weeks since India suspended the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan on April 23, 2025, citing national security concerns, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir. A brief war (7-10 May) between India and Pakistan, which ended in a sudden ceasefire, mediated by the US President Donald Trump, apparently has tilted India to the China-led bloc—BRICS Plus—which President Trump vowed to destroy to 'Make America Great Again'.

Though India is one of the founding members of the Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC) bloc formed in 2009, the Narendra Modi-led government seemingly surrendered to US President Donald Trump's tariff threat. On February 14, US President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to BRICS nations, threatening a 100 percent tariff on all imports into the United States if they proceed with launching a common currency. Speaking just hours before a scheduled meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump dismissed the economic bloc's relevance, declaring, "BRICS is dead."

Remarkably, when Trump's tariff hikes had triggered a global backlash led by China and most of the countries, including US allies, planned to retaliate, India continued its engagement with the USA for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), eyeing trade opportunities. The brief Indo-Pak war, during May 7-10, has exposed India's isolation among the Western countries, which amended India's recent geostrategic policy with the BRICS bloc.