India, July 9 -- The 17th summit of the Brics group of emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, offered insights into an institution undergoing profound changes amid an extremely disorderly and unsettling international situation.

In form and shape, Brics is a transformed entity today. With the admission of Indonesia this year as a full member, Brics has morphed from a minilateral club of five nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - into a medium-sized multilateral entity with broader representation. The admission of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates inside the tent, and the presence of 10 more partner countries including Nigeria and Vietnam, which are appar...