India, Oct. 16 -- The Brics grouping, which brings together several key emerging economies, has been the frequent target of the ire of US President Donald Trump, with his latest tirade against the bloc opening a new front in his economically ruinous tariff wars. With India set to assume the presidency of the 10-member grouping shortly, Trump repeated his claim that Brics is "an attack on the dollar" and threatened tariffs on all products from member States coming into the US if the bloc challenged the dollar's preeminent position as a global currency.

The truth is Brics, which struggled for long to frame a cohesive agenda, has been gaining in salience because of the trade policies of the US, as countries seek alternative supply chains an...