New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- As New Delhi is set to host the heads of state for the 18th BRICS Summit this weekend, the multinational bloc stands at a historic crossroads amid the escalating crisis in West Asia and the protracted war in Ukraine.

Chaired by India under the theme of "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", the summit opens amidst intense structural friction generated by two active global conflict zones which have dealt a devastating blow to developing nations, sharply exacerbating critical challenges surrounding energy security, food inflation, fertiliser supply chains, and rising sovereign debt.

Yet, as these cascading spillovers hit the Global South hardest, traditional Western-led governance str...