The BRICS bloc, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is set to hold its 15th summit in Johannesburg on August 22nd. Despite losing momentum in the past decade, the BRICS bloc has been rejuvenated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions between the West and China. Led by Beijing, the bloc is considering expansion and deepening, with more than 40 countries expressing interest in joining or applying for membership. However, the heterogeneity of the BRICS members, both politically and economically, poses challenges for expansion and articulating an alternative to the Western-led international order.
The BRICS bloc was initially coined by Goldman Sachs in 2001 to highlight the economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa was invited to join in 2010. However, the grouping lost momentum in the 2010s, with the non-Asian BRICS economies stagnating. The bloc would issue garbled communiqués about the West, which were promptly ignored. Despite this, the BRICS bloc has managed to stay alive and is now being rejuvenated by recent geopolitical tensions.
The upcoming summit will demonstrate how the bloc has been revitalized by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions between the West and China. BRICS members, led by China, are considering expanding and deepening the bloc, with over 40 countries expressing interest in joining. However, the heterogeneity of the members poses challenges for expansion and articulating an alternative to the Western-led international order. Despite this, a “Big BRICS” would still present a challenge for the West, but it is not seen as a mortal threat.
Overall, the BRICS bloc is facing renewed interest and potential expansion. However, the heterogeneous nature of the members and their differing political, economic, and military interests make it challenging to articulate a unified alternative to the Western-led international order. Nonetheless, the bloc still poses a challenge for the West and is being rejuvenated by recent geopolitical tensions.
