Sri Lanka, Sept. 15 -- As leaders of some of the world's most influential emerging economies gathered in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit last weekend at Bharat Mandapam once again took centre stage in global diplomacy.

For Sri Lanka, however, the summit should trigger an uncomfortable question. How did a country that formally sought BRICS membership end up watching from the sidelines while Uganda, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and others moved ahead as BRICS Partner Countries?

Sri Lanka wanted a seat at the table. Others secured one. We did not. This is not the time for excuses or bureaucratic silence. Policymakers must identify where the system failed, correct it and act.

In global diplomacy, opportunities lost today may n...