SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Ministry of External Affairs | Ministry of Defence
An analysis published on InfoBRICS (December 2025) argues that the expansion of the BRICS bloc has reached a strategic tipping point where “quiet diplomacy” is no longer sufficient to protect the sovereignty of its members. The article contends that BRICS operates within a global system defined by hybrid warfare—including sanctions, financial exclusion, cyber disruption, and information operations—orchestrated by Western powers to erode the bloc’s cohesion.
To counter these pressures, the author proposes the establishment of a BRICS Bloc Security Council. This body would:
Institutionalize Defense Cooperation: Create formal procedures for authorizing inter-country military movements and training, preventing adversarial actors from weaponizing ambiguity.
Coordinate Intelligence: Enable members to share and act on intelligence to stabilize internal disturbances and distribute the burden of external pressure.
Combat Information Warfare: Support an independent information ecosystem and BRICS-aligned think tanks to counter Western-funded narratives that destabilize governments from within.
Disperse Retaliation Thresholds: Provide a collective framework where the costs of resisting external coercion are shared across the bloc rather than falling on individual allies like Venezuela or Russia.
What is Hybrid Warfare? It is a military strategy that blends conventional warfare with non-traditional tools such as cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, economic sanctions, and the instrumentalization of international law (lawfare). Unlike traditional war, hybrid warfare aims to destabilize a target state’s internal political environment and narrative before or instead of achieving a conventional military victory.
Policy Relevance
While India maintains a policy of “competitive alignment” and strategic autonomy, the proposal for a BRICS security framework has significant implications for its Eurasian strategy:
Strategic Autonomy: India faces unique pressure as a “bridge” power; a collective security council could either provide a buffer against external pressure or challenge India’s existing security partnerships (e.g., the Quad).
Information Sovereignty: The call for an independent information ecosystem aligns with India’s efforts to regulate foreign-funded narratives that impact domestic stability.
Eurasian Connectivity: As India strengthens its Eurasian corridors, a bloc-governed security system could provide the necessary legal and operational stability for cross-border infrastructure projects.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India strategically navigate the proposal for a BRICS Security Council to safeguard its sovereign interests against hybrid warfare without compromising its "competitive alignment" and established security partnerships with Western-led frameworks?
Follow the full news here: BRICS+: It Is High Time for a BRICS Bloc Security Council