The Importance Of Both Quad and BRICS

Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Japan is scheduled to happen in end-July, after a long gap of 10 months.

Backdrop of the meeting

• It comes at a time when 
  • United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is paralysed and its reform nowhere in sight
  • International law is violated with impunity both in the Ukraine war and in the assault on Gaza by Israel
  • An axis of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran is gaining traction
  • Chinese influence is growing not just in the Indo-Pacific, but elsewhere too.
• Flexible stance of U.S: The U.S. has realised that it needs not just allies, but also credible partners in its security architecture, including in the Indo-Pacific
  • Partnering Non Ally Countries: Reached “across the aisle” to “non-ally” countries like India to partner with them in smaller pluri-lateral groupings and joint security initiatives. 
  • Security Dilemma:  ASEAN countries are getting increasingly vulnerable, with South China Sea remaining a flashpoint.
• Interesting and sometimes contrasting dilemmas for India:
  • While India is a member of many plurilateral groups on both sides of the geo-strategic “divide”, its engagement in Quad and with BRICS present the country with interesting, and sometimes contrasting, dilemmas.

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India’s role in the Quad

• Broad Objective of QUAD: While Quad has always had a geopolitical security objective vis-à-vis China, India’s vision goes beyond this narrow thrust to a much broader redrawing of the security and techno-economic architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. 
• Reorient Techno-economic architecture: 
• • Technological Dimension: With Quad now working on reorientation of global supply chains of critical technologies and on a range of areas of direct strategic relevance to the region, including digital, telecom, health, power, and semiconductors, 
  • Security Dimension: It has underlined that development too has a security perspective which cannot be ignored. India, in its turn, has benefited through enhanced bilateral relations with Quad partners, especially the U.S.
• AUKUS Objective was Narrow and Clear: Formation of AUKUS with the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., with a view to enhance their military capabilities, especially Australia’s with nuclear submarines, has put securitisation of the Indo-Pacific region and deterrence of China at the centre. 
  • NATO Focus shifted to Asia: The Ukraine war and enhanced focus on NATO has made the West look at Asia too through a military lens. 
  • India Reluctant to have an absolute stance: AUKUS may well suit India’s geo-strategic interests, but India’s reluctance to go the whole nine yards in embracing a purely security vision for Quad is seen as a dampener,
    • Indian External Affairs Minister clarified that Quad is not an Asian NATO and India is not a treaty ally unlike the other three. 
• Balancing by India: India’s independent policy of close relations with Russia and calling for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, both of which are frowned upon by the West, do not distract India from strengthening the Quad. 
  • During India’s presidency of the UNSC in August 202: India held a high-level virtual event on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security’ and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Is BRICS a gone story for India?

• Initially Active Participation: India was an enthusiastic founder of BRICS. 
  • In fact, at the 10th annual summit of the BRICS in 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa, it was Mr. Modi who reminded the leaders that 
  • Reformed multilateralism: BRICS was founded to reform the multilateral system and proposed for the first time his vision of “reformed multilateralism.” 
• Change in Active Participation: However, India’s participation in BRICS has fluctuated from enthusiastic to lukewarm. 
  • BRICS becoming China’s tool to push its narrative: While BRICS’ initiatives such as New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement have been pioneering, the attempt by China to use BRICS to grandstand and push its world view on the Global South 
• India Reluctant to Expansion: India had, consequently, been reluctant to expand BRICS. 
• Initial Russia Stance: In fact, in 2018, Mr. Putin too underlined his reluctance to expand BRICS by quoting former South African President Nelson Mandela: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
• Change in Dynamics:  But after Quad and the situation in Ukraine, Russia too realised the potential of BRICS, which includes pushing back the West, and lined up behind China. 
• India Accepted: A reluctant India decided to accept BRICS’s expansion rather than opposing it and now many more countries are reportedly waiting to join. 
• Way Forward: To counter moves to take BRICS in a direction India does not like, we need to be more engaged, not less. 
  • With India being the only country common to both Quad and BRICS, the country cannot afford to downplay one for the other.

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