4 min readNew DelhiSep 21, 2026 01:06 PM IST
First published on: Sep 18, 2026 at 05:04 PM IST
The 18th BRICS summit, held against the backdrop of the great power politics and unravelling post-war order, has largely been hailed for the diplomatic utility of the grouping.
Notwithstanding the differences among its members, the summit produced a joint declaration underlining the need to reform global governance and deeper cooperation across the three pillars of the grouping.
In doing so, it demonstrates that diplomacy and cooperation need not be beholden to the ideologies and interests of great powers. What do we understand by diplomacy? Is it an institution or a process governing interstate conduct?
Defining diplomacy
Diplomacy in international relations is a tool of foreign policy that a state relies on to represent itself and its interests to the rest of the world. Scholars have offered various definitions of diplomacy, highlighting different aspects of it, from the processes, manner, tools, or people involved.
One of the most cited definitions comes from a book, Diplomacy, Theory and Practice (1995), by G R Berridge. He stresses that diplomacy is the conduct of international relations by negotiation rather than by force, propaganda, or recourse to law, and by other peaceful means (such as gathering information or engendering goodwill) which are either directly or indirectly designed to promote negotiation.
In this conduct of international relations, diplomats, who are seen as people accredited by those they represent, play an important role, as they make use of various tools of diplomacy, such as dialogue, persuasion, and compromise, to achieve the defined goals. Diplomats enjoy immunity from the usual unfriendly rules governing relations with others.
Such practices that hint at a recognisable system of diplomacy are usually traced to pre-modern history, particularly in Europe. For instance, scholars note that ancient Greeks used early forms of diplomacy (such as immunity for envoys), while the rise of city-states in 15th century Italy saw permanent resident diplomatic missions. Later, permanent diplomatic conferences of the League and the UN further solidified the modern system of diplomacy.
Diplomacy and great power politics
Modern diplomacy, which can be both bilateral and multilateral, remains a key instrument for sovereign states to pursue their traditional agenda. Hans Morgenthau, widely regarded as the founder of classical realism (also called Human nature realism), treats diplomacy as an element of power. In Politics Among Nations (1948), he mentioned nine rules of diplomacy: four fundamental and five prerequisites of compromise.
These rules essentially recognise that structural changes in the international arena will pose threats to peace. While these changes are irreversible, states can still re-engage in the “community-building processes of diplomacy” by giving up their political ambition to universalise their own ideology, be it communist or liberal.
Although largely reflecting the realities of the early Cold War, Morgenthau’s principles help understand the return of great power politics today, manifested in the competing visions of the US, China, and Russia shaping the changing global landscape.
Against this backdrop, BRICS may be seen as a contemporary example of “community-building processes of diplomacy” by bringing together states with sharp differences, by articulating a common agenda of reforming global governance, and by demonstrating the relevance of diplomatic tools in managing the conduct of states.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a photo with world leaders at Bharat Mandapam on Day 2 of the BRICS Summit 2026, in New Delhi on Sunday. (DD News/ANI Video Grab) 
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