IASNOVA Interactive Map + Study Guide · International Relations
MAJOR GLOBAL GROUPINGS
QUAD · BRICS · SCO · ASEAN · G20 · I2U2 — select a bloc to light up its members.
Land shown without borders · dots mark member states (capitals/approximate centres) · G20 also includes the European Union & the African Union · hover or tap any country
Definition: What Are Global Groupings?
Global groupings are formal organisations, informal forums or small issue-based partnerships through which countries coordinate policy. They may deal with security, economics, technology, connectivity, climate action or development. They are not all alike: ASEAN and the SCO have charters and permanent institutions; the G20, BRICS, QUAD and I2U2 are more flexible arrangements with different levels of institutionalisation.
How UPSC Can Ask This Topic
Members, headquarters, founding year, institutional bodies, expansion, partner status and frequently confused facts.
India’s foreign policy, regional and global groupings, strategic autonomy, Indo-Pacific, Global South and institutional reform.
Maritime security, supply chains, energy security, critical minerals, technology, disaster relief and economic governance.
The Six Groupings at a Glance
| Grouping | Type and core purpose | Institutional character | India’s status |
|---|---|---|---|
| QUAD | Indo-Pacific strategic and practical cooperation | Informal minilateral; no treaty or permanent secretariat | Founding participant |
| BRICS | Global South coordination, development and governance reform | Informal forum; rotating chair; NDB and CRA provide institutional depth | Founding member; 2026 chair |
| SCO | Eurasian security, counter-terrorism and regional cooperation | Charter-based organisation; Secretariat and RATS | Full member since 2017 |
| ASEAN | Southeast Asian regional integration and centrality | Charter-based intergovernmental organisation | Comprehensive Strategic Partner, not a member |
| G20 | Global economic coordination among major economies | Informal forum; rotating presidency; no permanent secretariat | Member; hosted presidency in 2023 |
| I2U2 | Project-based cooperation in West Asia | Informal economic and technology minilateral | Founding participant |
1. QUAD
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
India · Australia · Japan · United States
The QUAD brings together four maritime democracies that support a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and rules-based Indo-Pacific. Its security relevance is clear, but it has deliberately developed as a broad public-goods partnership rather than a formal military alliance. There is no collective-defence clause, common headquarters or permanent secretariat.
2004: India, Japan, Australia and the United States coordinated relief after the Indian Ocean tsunami.
2007: The first diplomatic consultations were held, but the arrangement soon lost momentum.
2017: The QUAD was revived amid concern about coercion, maritime disputes and the regional balance of power.
2021: It was elevated to leaders’ level, giving the grouping greater political visibility and a practical work programme.
Main areas of cooperation
- Maritime security: maritime-domain awareness, coast-guard cooperation, illegal fishing and freedom of navigation.
- Economic security: resilient supply chains, trusted infrastructure and reduced overdependence in strategic sectors.
- Critical technologies: semiconductors, cyber security, artificial intelligence, telecommunications and space.
- Humanitarian assistance: disaster response, logistics coordination, health and regional capacity building.
- Energy and critical minerals: diversification of energy and mineral supply chains.
Why it matters for India
- Strengthens India’s role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.
- Supports a balance of power without forcing India into a treaty alliance.
- Improves access to technology, investment, intelligence, logistics and resilient supply chains.
- Connects India’s Act East Policy, Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and SAGAR vision with major partners.
- Creates alternatives to unilateral or coercive regional infrastructure and security arrangements.
The May 2026 QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi placed four areas at the centre: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. It also advanced energy-security and critical-minerals initiatives.
Strengths
- Small membership permits faster coordination.
- Members possess major maritime, technological and financial capabilities.
- Its agenda provides tangible public goods rather than only strategic signalling.
Limitations and criticisms
- Members differ in threat perceptions and economic dependence on China.
- No binding obligations or enforcement mechanism.
- ASEAN states may fear great-power rivalry or erosion of ASEAN centrality.
- A gap can emerge between summit announcements and project delivery.
The QUAD is neither a military alliance nor a purely anti-China coalition. It is a flexible balancing and public-goods platform whose credibility depends on delivery, respect for ASEAN centrality and continued strategic convergence.
2. BRICS
BRICS
Brazil · Russia · India · China · South Africa · Egypt · Ethiopia · Iran · Saudi Arabia · UAE · Indonesia
BRICS seeks to increase the voice of emerging and developing countries in global governance. It advocates a more multipolar, representative and development-oriented international order, particularly through reform of the United Nations, IMF, World Bank and WTO. It is not a military alliance, customs union or free-trade area.
2001: The term “BRIC” was coined to describe four large emerging economies.
2006: The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India and China began formal political coordination.
2009: The first BRIC leaders’ summit was held.
2011: South Africa joined, creating BRICS.
2024-25: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Indonesia joined as full members, greatly widening the grouping’s geography and political diversity.
Three broad pillars
- Political and security: coordination on multilateral reform, conflicts, terrorism and global governance.
- Economic and financial: development finance, trade facilitation, local-currency cooperation, energy and infrastructure.
- People-to-people: academic, cultural, health, scientific, youth and civil-society exchanges.
Key mechanisms
- New Development Bank (NDB): headquartered in Shanghai; finances infrastructure and sustainable-development projects.
- Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA): a US$100-billion liquidity safety net designed to help members facing short-term balance-of-payments pressure.
- Business Council, Think Tank Council and sectoral meetings: support cooperation beyond annual summits.
- Partner-country category: widens engagement without granting full membership.
India holds the BRICS chair in 2026 under the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. India’s challenge is to preserve consensus and practical cooperation in a much larger grouping while keeping Global South development and reform of international institutions at the centre.
Why it matters for India
- Provides a major platform to demand reform of global political and financial institutions.
- Supports South-South cooperation, development finance and a stronger voice for the Global South.
- Allows India to work with Russia and China while retaining independent partnerships with the West.
- Creates opportunities in energy, agriculture, health, digital public infrastructure, innovation and local-currency settlement.
- Helps India shape the agenda of an expanded non-Western forum rather than leaving it dominated by other powers.
Challenges
- Deep political and economic differences among members.
- India-China rivalry and unequal economic weight within the grouping.
- Expansion may increase legitimacy but make consensus and institutional coherence harder.
- Debates over de-dollarisation can overshadow practical development cooperation.
- Members do not always share positions on wars, sanctions, trade rules or UN reform.
BRICS is strongest when it functions as a reformist platform for development finance and Global South representation. It becomes weaker when treated as a unified anti-West bloc, because its members have different strategic interests and economic systems.
3. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Belarus · China · India · Iran · Kazakhstan · Kyrgyzstan · Pakistan · Russia · Tajikistan · Uzbekistan
The SCO emerged from the Shanghai Five, created in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to build confidence and reduce military tension along former Soviet-Chinese borders. Uzbekistan joined the process when the SCO was established in 2001. The organisation later expanded to include India and Pakistan in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
Core principles and objectives
- The Shanghai Spirit: mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development.
- Combating the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism.
- Maintaining regional security and stability across Eurasia.
- Expanding cooperation in trade, connectivity, energy, education, culture and disaster management.
- Promoting a more multipolar international system and opposition to unilateral domination.
Institutional structure
- Council of Heads of State: highest decision-making body.
- Council of Heads of Government: economic cooperation and budget.
- Secretariat in Beijing: administrative and coordinating body.
- Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent: coordinates action against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
- Decisions are generally taken by consensus; Russian and Chinese are working languages.
The SCO is not a collective-defence alliance. Its security cooperation includes intelligence exchange, counter-terror exercises and law-enforcement coordination, but an attack on one member does not automatically create a legal duty on all others to respond militarily.
Why it matters for India
- Provides direct engagement with Central Asian republics despite India’s lack of a direct land route.
- Offers a forum for discussing Afghanistan, terrorism, radicalisation, narcotics and regional instability.
- Helps India maintain dialogue with Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia in one platform.
- Supports energy and connectivity interests linked to Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
- Demonstrates strategic autonomy by placing India in a Eurasian body alongside its Indo-Pacific partnerships.
India’s concerns and constraints
- China and Pakistan may use the forum to support connectivity projects that ignore India’s sovereignty concerns.
- Members differ sharply on definitions, sponsorship and cross-border dimensions of terrorism.
- The Belt and Road Initiative is endorsed by several SCO members, while India objects to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
- India-Pakistan hostility and India-China border tensions reduce trust.
- Economic integration remains weaker than the organisation’s geographic scale suggests.
For India, the SCO is less a community of shared values than a necessary platform for continental engagement. India should use it selectively for counter-terrorism, Central Asia, connectivity and dialogue while firmly protecting sovereignty and strategic interests.
4. ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Brunei · Cambodia · Indonesia · Laos · Malaysia · Myanmar · Philippines · Singapore · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Vietnam
ASEAN was created through the Bangkok Declaration by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It gradually expanded across Southeast Asia and became a charter-based intergovernmental organisation when the ASEAN Charter entered into force in 2008. Timor-Leste became the eleventh member in October 2025.
The ASEAN Way
- Consultation and consensus rather than majoritarian voting.
- Non-interference in internal affairs.
- Respect for sovereignty and national diversity.
- Gradual, informal and pragmatic cooperation.
- Peaceful settlement of disputes and avoidance of open confrontation.
Three community pillars
- Political-Security Community: regional peace, norms, diplomacy and transnational security.
- Economic Community: trade, investment, production networks and movement toward a more integrated regional market.
- Socio-Cultural Community: health, education, labour, environment, disaster management, identity and human development.
ASEAN centrality means that wider Indo-Pacific institutions are organised around ASEAN-led processes rather than being controlled exclusively by major powers. Important ASEAN-centred mechanisms include the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus and ASEAN Plus Three.
India is outside Southeast Asia and is therefore not an ASEAN member. It became a sectoral dialogue partner in 1992, a full dialogue partner in 1996, began annual summit-level engagement in 2002, entered a Strategic Partnership in 2012 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.
Why ASEAN matters for India
- It is the institutional core of India’s Act East Policy.
- Southeast Asia links the Indian and Pacific Oceans and includes critical sea lanes such as the Strait of Malacca.
- ASEAN is central to India’s trade, supply-chain, digital, maritime and connectivity ambitions.
- Projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Kaladan corridor seek to connect India’s Northeast with Southeast Asia.
- The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative share principles of openness, inclusivity and practical cooperation.
Major challenges
- Consensus can produce the “lowest common denominator” and slow crisis response.
- The Myanmar crisis tests ASEAN’s non-interference principle and credibility.
- Members have different interests in the South China Sea and different levels of dependence on China.
- Large development gaps persist among member states.
- Great-power rivalry can divide ASEAN and weaken its centrality.
ASEAN’s strength lies in convening diverse states and preventing Southeast Asia from being monopolised by any major power. Its weakness is that the same consensus and non-interference norms that preserve unity can also obstruct decisive action.
5. G20
Group of Twenty
19 countries · European Union · African Union
The G20 was created after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for finance ministers and central-bank governors. It was elevated to leaders’ level during the 2008 global financial crisis. Its members account for roughly 85% of global GDP, more than 75% of international trade and about two-thirds of the world’s population, giving it exceptional agenda-setting power.
How the G20 works
- The presidency rotates annually and sets the year’s priorities.
- The Troika – previous, current and next presidencies – supports continuity.
- The Finance Track handles macroeconomics, taxation, financial regulation, debt and development finance.
- The Sherpa Track covers development, climate, health, agriculture, digital economy, employment, anti-corruption and other issues.
- Decisions are political commitments reached by consensus; they are generally not legally binding.
Why the G20 is important
- Bridges advanced economies and emerging powers in one forum.
- Coordinates responses to financial crises and global economic shocks.
- Shapes reform of multilateral development banks, taxation rules, debt frameworks and financial regulation.
- Links economic policy with climate, health, food, energy and digital governance.
- Can give political momentum to institutions that possess legal and financial implementation capacity.
India’s presidency secured permanent G20 membership for the African Union, adopted the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration by consensus, promoted Digital Public Infrastructure, launched the Global Biofuel Alliance, emphasised women-led development and advanced reform of multilateral development banks. The presidency projected India as a bridge between developed countries and the Global South.
Why it matters for India
- Gives India a direct role in shaping global economic rules.
- Allows India to combine development concerns with its status as a major economy.
- Provides a platform for climate finance, energy transitions, digital governance and reform of multilateral banks.
- Strengthens India’s claim to be a voice and agenda-setter for the Global South.
- Offers space to build consensus across geopolitical divisions.
Limitations
- Commitments are usually non-binding and implementation varies.
- Wars and major-power rivalry can block consensus or dilute declarations.
- Many smaller states are represented only indirectly through regional bodies or invited participation.
- Its broad agenda risks overextension and duplication with the UN, IMF, World Bank and WTO.
- Legitimacy depends on translating summit language into finance and domestic policy.
The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation because it combines economic weight with political leadership. However, it is an agenda-setting forum, not a world government; implementation still depends on national governments and formal international institutions.
6. I2U2
I2U2
India · Israel · United Arab Emirates · United States
I2U2 connects Indian scale and markets, Israeli technology, UAE capital and logistics, and US strategic and financial capabilities. It emerged from a foreign-ministers’ meeting in 2021 and held its first leaders’ summit in 2022. It is sometimes called the West Asian Quad, but this nickname can mislead: unlike the Indo-Pacific QUAD, I2U2 is primarily focused on economic projects and technology-enabled development.
Priority sectors
- Water and food security.
- Renewable energy and energy storage.
- Transportation and logistics.
- Space, health and emerging technologies.
- Private investment, start-ups and infrastructure.
Flagship project logic
- UAE investment was proposed for integrated food parks in India to improve food production and supply chains.
- A hybrid renewable-energy project in Gujarat was proposed with technological and financial participation from partner countries.
- The wider model is to combine public diplomacy with private capital, technology and commercially viable projects.
Why it matters for India
- Shows India’s ability to build partnerships in West Asia beyond old ideological divisions.
- Connects India simultaneously with Israel, the Arab Gulf and the United States.
- Can mobilise investment and technology for food, clean energy, logistics and innovation.
- Complements India’s growing ties with the UAE and Israel and its interest in new economic corridors.
- Strengthens India’s image as a practical development and technology partner.
Challenges
- Regional wars and the Israel-Palestine issue create political sensitivity.
- The grouping has limited institutional structure and depends heavily on project delivery.
- Different threat perceptions and domestic politics can slow momentum.
- It must avoid becoming an exclusive bloc that alienates other important West Asian partners.
- Announcements need measurable financing, timelines and implementation.
I2U2 represents the rise of functional minilateralism in West Asia. Its strategic value will come not from military alignment but from demonstrating that technology, investment and connectivity can produce shared regional benefits.
India’s Strategic Autonomy and Multi-Alignment
India’s simultaneous participation in the QUAD, BRICS, SCO, G20 and I2U2 is not a contradiction. It reflects strategic autonomy: India does not surrender independent judgement to a single alliance system. Instead, it builds different coalitions for different purposes.
| Indian objective | Most relevant grouping | How it serves the objective |
|---|---|---|
| Maritime balance and Indo-Pacific public goods | QUAD | Maritime awareness, technology, logistics, HADR and resilient supply chains |
| Global South voice and governance reform | BRICS and G20 | Development finance, multilateral reform and agenda-setting |
| Continental engagement and Central Asia | SCO | Counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, connectivity, energy and Eurasian dialogue |
| Act East and regional architecture | ASEAN partnership | Trade, connectivity, regional forums and ASEAN centrality |
| West Asian technology and investment | I2U2 | Food, energy, logistics, technology and private capital |
A balanced UPSC answer should add that multi-alignment is not cost-free. India must manage conflicting expectations, avoid issue-based dependence, preserve policy credibility and convert membership into concrete outcomes.
High-Value Comparisons
| Comparison | Key distinction |
|---|---|
| QUAD vs SCO | QUAD is an informal Indo-Pacific minilateral focused on practical cooperation and maritime order; SCO is a charter-based Eurasian organisation with permanent bodies and a strong counter-terrorism focus. |
| BRICS vs G20 | BRICS is a Global South coordination platform with 11 members and its own development-finance institution; G20 is a wider forum of the world’s major economies, including advanced Western economies and two regional bodies. |
| ASEAN vs QUAD | ASEAN is a Southeast Asian regional organisation built around consensus and centrality; QUAD is an external four-country partnership whose legitimacy in the region partly depends on supporting ASEAN-led architecture. |
| QUAD vs I2U2 | Both are four-member minilaterals. QUAD has a stronger maritime and strategic Indo-Pacific orientation; I2U2 is more narrowly economic, technological and project-based in West Asia. |
| Formal organisation vs informal forum | SCO and ASEAN have charters and permanent secretariats. BRICS, G20, QUAD and I2U2 rely more on rotating leadership, political commitments and flexible coordination. |
UPSC Mains Answer Toolkit
Question: How does India’s membership in both QUAD and SCO demonstrate strategic autonomy?
- Introduction: Define strategic autonomy as independent decision-making rather than neutrality or equidistance.
- Body 1: QUAD serves India’s maritime, technological and Indo-Pacific interests.
- Body 2: SCO serves continental, Central Asian, counter-terrorism and Eurasian interests.
- Critical point: Conflicting partners create pressures on statements, connectivity and security cooperation.
- Conclusion: India’s success depends on issue-based alignment backed by domestic capability and consistent principles.
Question: “ASEAN centrality is necessary but increasingly under stress.” Discuss.
- Explain ASEAN’s convening role in EAS, ARF and ADMM-Plus.
- Show how centrality prevents regional institutions from becoming exclusive great-power clubs.
- Discuss pressure from South China Sea disputes, Myanmar, consensus rules and US-China rivalry.
- Suggest stronger institutional capacity, internal unity, economic integration and practical partnerships.
Question: Has BRICS expansion strengthened the grouping?
- Strengthened: wider Global South representation, energy weight, population, markets and geopolitical reach.
- Complicated: more divergent interests, harder consensus, competing regional disputes and risk of agenda dilution.
- Way forward: prioritise NDB reform, climate and development finance, health, food, technology and institutional clarity.
Question: Evaluate the G20 as an institution of global governance.
- Highlight representativeness, economic weight and crisis-management capacity.
- Explain consensus, rotating presidency, Sherpa and Finance tracks.
- Critique non-binding commitments, geopolitical polarisation and implementation deficits.
- Conclude that it is most effective as a political steering forum linked to formal institutions.
Prelims Traps to Avoid
Test Yourself: UPSC & SSC Practice MCQs
Q1. India is a member of all of the following EXCEPT:
India is in QUAD, BRICS, SCO, G20 and I2U2 but is a dialogue partner of ASEAN, not a member.
Q2. Which country became a full member of BRICS in January 2025?
Indonesia formally joined BRICS as a full member on 6 January 2025.
Q3. The QUAD comprises the USA, India, Japan and:
The four QUAD partners are India, Australia, Japan and the United States.
Q4. Timor-Leste became the 11th member of which grouping in 2025?
Timor-Leste became ASEAN’s eleventh member in October 2025.
Q5. The headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretariat is located in:
The SCO Secretariat is in Beijing; the RATS Executive Committee is in Tashkent.
Q6. Which country joined the SCO as a full member in 2024?
Belarus became the SCO’s tenth member in 2024; Iran had joined in 2023.
Q7. The African Union became a permanent member of which forum in 2023?
The African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20 at the 2023 New Delhi summit.
Q8. The I2U2 grouping consists of India, Israel, the UAE and:
I2U2 stands for India, Israel, UAE and the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a formal organisation and an informal grouping?
A formal organisation generally has a charter or treaty, defined organs and permanent administrative structures. An informal grouping depends more on political declarations, rotating leadership and voluntary coordination. The distinction is not absolute: BRICS is informal but has created formal institutions such as the New Development Bank.
Is India a member of all six groupings?
No. India is a participant in QUAD, BRICS, SCO, G20 and I2U2. It is not an ASEAN member, but it is a Comprehensive Strategic Partner and participates in ASEAN-led forums such as the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum.
How can India participate in both QUAD and SCO?
The two groupings serve different geographic and functional interests. QUAD supports India’s maritime and Indo-Pacific priorities; SCO supports continental engagement, Central Asia and counter-terrorism. Participation in both reflects strategic autonomy and issue-based alignment.
Is QUAD an Asian NATO?
No. NATO is a treaty-based collective-defence alliance. QUAD has no treaty, no Article 5-type defence obligation and no permanent military command. Security cooperation is important, but the agenda also includes technology, health, disaster relief, infrastructure, energy and critical minerals.
Why is ASEAN centrality important?
ASEAN centrality keeps Southeast Asian states at the institutional centre of wider regional diplomacy. It provides inclusive forums in which major and middle powers meet under ASEAN-led structures, reducing the risk that the region is divided entirely by great-power blocs.
What is the difference between G20 and BRICS?
The G20 includes both advanced and emerging major economies and focuses on global economic coordination. BRICS is a Global South-oriented forum seeking greater representation and reform of global governance, with the New Development Bank as a major institutional achievement.
Does the SCO have a common army?
No. SCO members conduct security exercises and cooperate through RATS, but there is no common army, integrated military command or automatic collective-defence obligation.
Why is I2U2 important despite its small membership?
Its small size allows focused cooperation among countries with complementary assets: Indian markets and capacity, Israeli technology, UAE capital and logistics, and US finance and strategic reach. Its credibility depends on implementing commercially viable projects.
Sources & Data
- QUAD: official foreign-ministry statements and factsheets of India, Australia, Japan and the United States, including the May 2026 New Delhi Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
- BRICS: official BRICS presidency material and Government of India releases on India’s 2026 chairship; New Development Bank and CRA institutional documents.
- SCO: SCO Secretariat, SCO Charter, official organisation overview and RATS material.
- ASEAN: ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Charter, ASEAN Community documents and official accession record for Timor-Leste.
- G20: official G20 membership and institutional overviews; Government of India documents on the 2023 presidency.
- I2U2: leaders’ statements and official government releases of India, Israel, UAE and the United States.
- Base map: Natural Earth land outline. Country dots are approximate orientation markers rather than national-boundary polygons.
