India’s 2026 chairmanship of the summit must keep an expanded grouping focused on Global South cooperation without burning Western bridges As New Delhi prepares to host the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, the global order sits at a precarious crossroads. What began two decades ago as an economic acronym for high-growth emerging markets has morphed into an expanded, multi-continental bloc representing nearly half the world’s population. For India, taking the helm as BRIC