(CLO) The BRICS Summit starting on October 22 in Kazan could become an important milestone in the process of forming a new multilateral world order. The conference brings together representatives of more than 30 countries, including strong economies: Russia, China, India, Brazil and Türkiye. The main topic of the conference is whether BRICS will expand the number of members in the future?
The attraction of BRICS
Many believe that BRICS is a rebirth of the “Non-Aligned Movement” that existed during the Cold War. The movement emerged in 1961 and was initially initiated by the leaders of Yugoslavia, India, Egypt and Indonesia, and later grew to include about 120 countries representing different continents.
However, the movement gradually weakened with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The last congress of the movement took place 12 years ago, but it cannot be denied that the movement was then an indispensable spiritual support for non-aligned and developing countries in international relations, actively participating in peacekeeping efforts, fighting for disarmament, opposing imposition, protecting national sovereignty, and building a new world order.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS Summit 2024. Photo: Izvestia
What is notable about BRICS is the trend towards “community outreach”. This is a form of involving the neighboring countries of the BRICS chair in the group’s activities. For example, last year, South Africa invited the leaders of all African countries to attend the summit. The 2024 BRICS Summit in Russia, in turn, will be attended by representatives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
BRICS+ is a more global format that allows more partner countries to participate in the group's work. BRICS currently brings together 2 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (Russia, China), 3 nuclear powers (Russia, China, India) and 4 countries that are among the world's largest economies (Russia, China, India and Brazil).
And if we look more broadly – in the context of BRICS+ – the number of strong economies is much larger. According to statistics, BRICS currently contributes about 37% of global GDP (in purchasing power parity), accounts for nearly 50% of the global population, 49% of wheat production, 43% of global oil production and 25% of the world's merchandise exports.
This year, four countries - Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - officially became BRICS members. Saudi Arabia is also awaiting confirmation to become a full member. More than 30 other countries, including NATO member Turkey, have applied to join. Most recently, EU candidate Serbia said it is exploring the possibility of joining BRICS instead of the EU.
Shaping a new multilateral world order
In your personal life, being a member of a prestigious “club” has certain benefits: it provides a place where you can make useful contacts, exchange opinions on issues of common interest, and even just spend time socializing and learning from the experiences of other members. If you are lucky enough to be accepted into an exclusive elite club, it can even help you elevate your social and professional status.
This is perhaps one of the most understandable explanations for why so many countries in the Global South are aspiring to be BRICS members. BRICS is not a political alliance, nor a collective security organization, nor an economic integration project.
Candidates for membership do not need to meet multiple entry criteria, undergo a lengthy application process, or demonstrate the ability to meet the organization's high standards. New members can enjoy all the benefits of full membership and even contribute to shaping the bloc's common rituals, creating new traditions and future legacies.
Sideline meeting between leaders attending the Conference. Photo: Izvestia
Given the political potential and economic appeal of BRICS, the question now is whether the members of the group, which started a decade and a half ago, are ready to set more ambitious goals for themselves? Are these countries satisfied with the group’s current format or are they looking to transform it into a more institutionalized and internationally influential cooperation mechanism?
Of course, it can be said that it is the increase in the number of BRICS members that adds diversity to the group, increases its legitimacy and ultimately strengthens the organization's international influence.
However, according to Dr. Andrei Kortunov, Director of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), increasing the number of members could lead to increased divisions within the group of members, significantly complicate the decision-making process and, in the end, could even make the task of reaching consensus on many sensitive issues almost impossible. In addition, if BRICS remains an international club with an unlimited and constantly growing number of potential members, the organization will gradually lose its current exclusivity and the status of a BRICS member state will inevitably decline.
With what is happening, at least during Russia's BRICS chairmanship in 2024, we can see a clear aim to transform the group into a global multilateral cooperation mechanism, in which the members of the association can study new approaches, concepts, guidelines and models of multilateral cooperation, which can be applied at the global level, becoming important elements of the future world order.
One of the central tasks of the BRICS summits – not only this one in Russia but all subsequent ones – is to gradually move from general political declarations to specific proposals aimed at delivering on the fundamental interests of developing countries, which have long been underrepresented in global and regional governance.
Until now, the rules of the international system have been essentially dictated by Western-led institutions and forums, such as the IMF, the World Bank, the G7 and the European Union. This monopoly has inevitably led to serious tensions in the international system, raising doubts about the fairness and sustainability of the current world order.
BRICS has challenged this monopoly of Western institutions in world politics and economics: the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) can be seen as a viable, albeit so far modest, alternative.
The BRICS Contingency Reserve Fund provides services that previously only the IMF could provide. These two institutions should be complemented by a digital payments platform to facilitate trade and financial transactions between member countries and reduce the negative impact of unilateral external sanctions.
Transforming BRICS from a small group of member states into a multilateral cooperation mechanism with global influence will require enormous political will. And the BRICS Summit in Kazan could be an important step towards this goal.
Ha Anh
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-brics-thuc-day-mot-trat-tu-the-gioi-da-phuong-moi-post318247.html
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