Chavda Pod Courtesy: Abhijit Chavda Podcast
11 April 2024

West must listen to emerging middle powers

Emerging middle powers like India, Brazil and South Africa are articulating their interests on the global stage with growing assertiveness. Manjeet Kripalani, Executive Director, Gateway House, joins Abhijit Chavda on his eponymous podcast to discuss changing dynamics between the West and the Global South, and how western and emerging middle powers can collaborate on shared priorities like multilateral reform, technology transfer and international trade.

Brazil_podcast Courtesy: Brookings Institution
22 March 2024

Unfolding Geopolitics | Episode 9, Brazil’s G20 Presidency: on the road

It is three months into Brazil’s G20 presidency, and the country is working hard on its agenda of prioritising energy transitions, reform of global governance and social inclusion. These will flow well into Brazil’s chairing of two other multilateral events in 2025 — BRICS and the COP30. Carlos Frederico de Souza Coelho, Senior Fellow at the BRICS Policy Center, talks about Brazil’s G20 agenda, its intention to advance India’s G20 efforts for global development, and what to expect from his country’s COP30 and BRICS presidencies.

lula Courtesy: Real Institute of Elcano
21 March 2024

The perfect recipe?

Brazil has the right strategy to survive in a world full of crises: Unite with many to deliver for all. With the ongoing presidency of the G20 and leadership of the BRICS and COP30 on the way next year, Brazil is in a unique position to play a constructive role both regionally and on the world stage.

Report Photo Courtesy: Körber-Stiftung
18 March 2024

Listening Beyond the Echo Chamber: Emerging Middle Powers Report

Divergent global reactions to major crises such as those sparked by the war in Ukraine and NATO’s Afghanistan withdrawal have widened the chasm between Western countries and emerging middle powers. This survey, conducted among nearly 1,000 experts from India, Brazil, South Africa and Germany, examines key foreign policy priorities in these countries, and reveals that despite differences, dialogue is possible.

BRICS 2 website Courtesy: Fox News
31 August 2023

BRICS-XI, the new configuration

The decision to invite six countries — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — to join BRICS as full members has opened the grouping to a new geopolitical era. India can now play a seminal but challenging role in this evolved dynamic, given its growing cooperation with the West on the one hand and its active pursuit of the interests of the Global South on the other.

BRICS India website Courtesy:
24 August 2023

The BRICS Imperative

The BRICS Summit in Johannesburg has drawn international attention to the grouping’s past record of achievements and failures, its strained internal dynamics, and new challenges. As BRICS heads into its 18th year, its success and way forward will depend on the members’ ability to tackle the principal challenge of retaining its internal solidarity while balancing expansion and its impact and influence in the world.

14466760487_a0053006b6_k Courtesy: Lowy Institute
17 August 2023

BRICS Summit: Redefining international cooperation

The 15th BRICS summit is set to take place on August 22-24 in Johannesburg. Against a backdrop of escalating global tensions, the summit's agenda encompasses crucial topics including greater representation of the Global South, reform of MDBs, and geopolitical flashpoints like the Ukraine crisis. The summit's outcomes will extend beyond the grouping and redefine the landscape of international cooperation among emerging economies.

BRICS-Summit-2018 Courtesy: Asia Times
25 May 2023

The paradox of BRICS

After many early achievements, BRICS is now in gridlock, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, India-China border tensions, and the Ukraine conflict. Despite its apparent diplomatic bankruptcy, 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are eagerly waiting in line to join the grouping.

IBSA 1 Courtesy: PTI
20 October 2022

IBSA, G20 and the Global South

The consecutive Presidencies of the G20 for India, Brazil and South Africa provides a rare, unique opportunity to forge an agenda common to both the G20 and IBSA. The timing is coincident: with Russia and China consumed by conflict and zero-Covid respectively, BRICS has receded. IBSA can convert both crises into an opportunity and become relevant to the Global South’s current and future challenges.

Bolsi and Lula Right left Courtesy: Reuters
13 October 2022

Brazil elections, looking ahead

Brazil will head to the polls in a runoff this month to choose its next president. Will it be incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, or former president Lula da Silva? Both are popular with their voter bases, but both have hurdles to overcome, most notably the economy, and have differences on their global political alignment – particularly important as Brazil will be the G20 President in 2024.