ABSTRACT
Two decades of globalization has led to many changes in the economic status of countries. Countries of the European Union have faced stagnation and recession, while several southern countries have shown high growth and economic development. The fast-growing economies of China, India and Brazil stand out in this regard. These changes have impelled changes in the international system, which shifted after the end of the Cold War bi-polar system, where one superpower – the United States (US) – dominated international politics. The international forums and institutions, both formal and informal, like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G-8 and G-20, respectively, continued to be dominated by the Western countries, especially the US and European Union. Even though Europe faced economic crises, and the economic strength of others increased, this domination did not change. The need for new formations resulted in the formation of the group called BRICS. Particularly, the global affairs drastically changed after Donald Trump became president of the US and his administration adopted draconian policies in the international economy, trade and politics. And this has led to the arrival of trade wars in international relations. In this context, the BRICS group is pushing for more global governance reforms to make global order more pluralistic and democratic.
The BRICS is an association of major regional and global powers like China, India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa. Due to its inter-continental representation and positive growth, it became a more significant entity in present global politics. The BRICS group has given space for India-China to huddle together once again in world politics. However, the role of India and China in the group has become a debating point on a regular basis due to their bilateral skirmishes. In this scenario, the chapter analyzes the changing dimensions of world politics. The chapter explores whether the rise of the BRICS is inevitable or is a myth. This chapter tries to seek out the significance of the BRICS role in the changing world order and the India-China role in shaping it.
