The five emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – also known by the abbreviation BRICS – have set themselves the goal of ending the ‘dictates’ of the West led by the US. To do this, they want to expand massively and attract other countries. That must be achieved on Tuesday and Wednesday at the summit in South Africa.
More than 30 countries have confirmed their participation in the BRICS summit. 67 senior politicians from Africa and the Global South have been invited, as well as 20 international representatives, including the United Nations, the African Union and Africa’s regional economic communities. Only one guest was turned down: French President Emmanuel Macron had expressed interest in attending the summit, but did not receive an invitation. Former colonial rulers and Western industrial powers are not wanted.
Dozens of states are interested
According to their own statements, the five BRICS countries already account for 42 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of the world’s land area and 24 percent of global economic output. According to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, about 40 countries have expressed non-binding interest in membership, 23 of which are concrete, including Argentina, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Bangladesh , Venezuela and Thailand. .
Russia is completely in its element. An expansion of BRICS is undoubtedly an important strengthening and “increases their weight in global issues”, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said beforehand. He represents Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, who is staying away from the meeting just to be on the safe side. Otherwise, according to the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the 70-year-old would have to fear being arrested as a war criminal for his invasion of Ukraine.
Alternatives to the world currency dollar
After delight in the West over the absence of the Kremlin chief and his perceived isolation on the world stage, Putin announced that he was participating and that he would be connected via video. He should again promote a move away from the dollar. The Russian president has long criticized the US currency as a tool in Washington’s political power struggle and has advocated for states to conduct business in national currencies. The development bank NDB (New Development Bank) set up by the BRICS countries should also help.
While the Kremlin wants to use the BRICS alliance for its anti-Western purposes, South Africa’s foreign minister stressed that they are neither anti-Western nor pro-Russian. Rather, it is about Western industrial powers increasingly ignoring the concerns of the global South, she explained with a dig at the G7 nations of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Britain and the US.
Despite claims to the contrary, independent observers view the ad for “BRICS plus” as a clear attempt to compete with the West. BRICS is not a neutral “advocate of the Global South,” but sees itself as an “alliance against the West,” said Peter Fabricius, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa. Accession candidates such as Iran or Venezuela could further reinforce this view.
Source: Krone
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