On November 21, South Africa hosted an extraordinary session of the BRICS grouping over Israel’s devastating bombing of Gaza. ADVERTISEMENTThere was only one country that decided to field its foreign minister instead of its top leader: India, a founding member of the BRICS. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was busy campaigning for state assembly elections and so deputed the external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar. At the United Nations General Assembly vote for a truce in late October, India abstained, while every other BRICS nation and most other developing nations voted for the resolution. But it isn’t just India’s position on the war that’s hurting its standing with the very Global South Modi is keen to lead.

Source: The Telegraph November 28, 2023 07:38 UTC