2023-08-19 03:00:25
The Johannesburg summit will be an opportunity for the five major emerging powers to define the contours of the new world order they intend to build.
From next Tuesday to Thursday will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the 15e summit of the Brics, an acronym which designates a block of five major emerging countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The deepening of ties with Africa will be the central theme of this summit, to which several dozen countries from the “Global South” are invited. Emmanuel Macron’s France also tried to obtain an invitation but was firmly rejected by the South African presidency.
The Brics represent regarding 40% of the population of the planet. In 2023, they accounted for 31.5% of global GDP, exceeding for the first time the share of the G7 (30.7% of world GDP). China weighs by far the heaviest in this club of emerging countries.
As a diplomatic bloc, the Brics have grown in importance since the start of the war in Ukraine. Apart from Russia which is belligerent, the other countries have adopted a position of neutrality, not far removed from the non-alignment that prevailed during the Cold War era. This position is characterized by a distancing from the West, a refusal to apply economic sanctions once morest Russia, but also the affirmation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“The main element that brings the Brics together is the desire to stand out from the Western world.”
Motley hitch
Belgian Honorary Ambassador Raoul Delcorde prefers the “multi-alignment” formulation adopted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The Brics form a heterogeneous team with very different agendas and sometimes very distant interests. The main element that brings them together is the desire to stand out from the Western world.“
This desire is often tinged with strong resentment. Raoul Delcorde: “They criticize the West for practicing double talk, for doing double standards. They are not far from equating the West with decadence.This attitude of rejection might, in his view, have long-term consequences.
To show that they aspire to a new world order, the Brics have set up an alternative to the World Bank, the New Development Bank, chaired by the former president of Brazil Dilma Rousseff. They are also working on a currency competing with the dollar and on an alternative system to Swift to manage international transactions.
The main target power, the United States, has so far been the big back. Even when Saudi Arabia openly challenges Washington on oil issues. Raoul Delcorde:The Americans have understood that they no longer hold a hegemonic position but they are not going to play the confrontation. Especially since they have with India a strategic ally in the Indian Ocean.
The Brics are rather divided on the question of enlargement to new members.
To expand or not?
The issue of BRICS enlargement will be another important item on the agenda of the Johannesburg summit. Twenty countries are knocking at the door. Among these, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Egypt, Nigeria and Iran.
On this last point, the Brics are rather divided, notes the honorary ambassador. “Anxious to retain their influence, Lula and Modi are not in favor of an enlargement, while China is more in favor of an opening to new members.”
Nor does unanimity prevail regarding the reform of the structures of the United Nations. “India has long claimed a permanent position on the Security Council, but it is not certain that China and Russia see it favourably. The ambiguity is patent.”
The summary
- Next week is the 15th Brics summitfive emerging countries which have in common to oppose Western hegemony.
- The war in ukraine gave a new impetus to the Brics.
- On the summit’s agenda is the issue of enlargement, on which the Brics are divided.
- The Brics are also working on a currency competing with the dollar and on an alternative system to Swift.
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