New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- As India rolls out the red carpet for the 18th BRICS Summit this weekend, one line keeps resurfacing in briefings, interviews and official statements: BRICS is "non-Western," not "anti-West." The phrase, first popularised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and later echoed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has become something of an unofficial tagline for the bloc as it tries to shake off years of being cast as an anti-American, anti-NATO club.

The distinction matters. Over the past two years, Western commentators have often framed BRICS's growth - particularly its expansion to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - as a deliberate counterweight to the G7 and the dollar-led financial order. Putin...