Last week, after the summit in Johannesburg, the BRICS announced the countries they agreed to include in its group. It is worth mentioning that the new six members are privileged states to have been selected to collaborate closely with the emerging powers that make up this outstanding quintet. What implications does the expansion of this group generate for international relations?
About 15 years ago, when the BRICS was formed, this group of countries did not represent a weighty bloc on the international stage. However, throughout time, it became more and more evident that their presence, cooperation, and fast-paced development in multiple facets could create a significant impact on the globe. It could not only change the economic status quo, but to challenge the global political order and governance that have been clearly shaped from the Western perspective.
Today, the BRICS represent 40 % of the world’s population, 25 % of the globe’s gross domestic product and 16 % of international trade. Not bad for a group of only five states that fifteen years ago continued to be considered developing countries far from competing with the great world economies and former imperialist powers.
As if that was not enough, the quintet of countries has projected economic growth well above that of most developing countries. In addition, it is made up of two of the economies with the best global projection in the following years: India and, even more so, China, which is even currently competing with the United States of America for world hegemony. Beijing has increased its connections and influence in various regions, resulting in more leverage that it is also used by its allies and the BRICS.
Now, after the recent summit in Johannesburg, it has been announced that from January 1st, 2024, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will join the BRICS. Undoubtedly, these six states are privileged, since they will form part of a selected group of emerging powers that include states with an enviable projection even for many countries considered as developed.
For the countries that join, the benefit is clear, but how do the BRICS benefit? At first glance, the group grows and improves its position to compete with the so-called G7, which brings together several of the most influential economies in the world. With this integration, more states get aligned with the goals of the quintet of countries, reducing the influence that the countries considered developed from the other competing bloc may have.
A second benefit, which is undoubtedly substantial, is that the BRICS are furthering their quest to support what is known as the Global South. The integration of these six nations means embracing countries that have been forgotten, belittled, and even historically exploited by the West. Consequently, this expansion illustrates the advance in the conscious movement of Beijing, New Delhi, Moscow, Brasilia, and Pretoria to continue pushing for a more balanced world that challenges the guidelines imposed by the main Western powers.
Finally, a third benefit is the possibility that the BRICS may have for an easier access to the series of natural resources that these six new members possess. Among the most coveted inputs they have are oil and lithium, two relevant energy sources both for the current demand for hydrocarbons, and for the transition to green energies. On the other hand, the geographical position of those who join is also strategic for the quintet. We can cite the case of Argentina and its proximity to Brazil and its involvement in Mercosur, and, in the same way, the case of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran for the Belt and Road Initiative that China has built.
There is no doubt that the choice of the BRICS to determine the new members has been of the greatest importance for the future of world trade and to guarantee the necessary conditions to try to achieve a better position on the international stage with respect to the West. To a large extent, it is being achieved. It is also true there is still a long way to go, but these movements in Beijing, New Delhi, Moscow, Brasilia, and Pretoria point into that direction.
