India, Sept. 11 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a major diplomatic balancing act as India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi ahead of the September 12-13 leaders' meeting, while Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to arrive on Saturday. For New Delhi, the summit is an opportunity to demonstrate its diplomatic reach while advancing its own strategic and economic interests in an increasingly divided world.

The timing of the summit is significant. The wars in Ukraine and West Asia, tensions between the United States and China, uncertainty over global trade, and demands from developing countries for a greater say in international institutions have crea...