{"id":798132,"date":"2024-11-10T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=798132"},"modified":"2024-11-08T15:48:02","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T13:48:02","slug":"the-problem-with-the-brics-new-world-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/798132\/the-problem-with-the-brics-new-world-order\/","title":{"rendered":"The problem with the BRICS &#8216;New World Order&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The last two summits of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/infobrics.org\/\">BRICS<\/a>\u00a0countries have raised questions about the coalition\u2019s identity and purpose. This began to come into focus at the summit hosted by South Africa\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/brics2023.gov.za\/\">in 2023<\/a>, and more acutely at the recent\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/static.kremlin.ru\/media\/events\/files\/en\/RosOySvLzGaJtmx2wYFv0lN4NSPZploG.pdf\">2024 summit<\/a>\u00a0in Kazan, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At both events the alliance undertook to expand its membership. In 2023, the first five Brics members \u2013 Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa \u2013&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/brics-expansion-six-more-nations-are-set-to-join-what-theyre-buying-into-212200\">invited<\/a>&nbsp;Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to join. All bar Saudi Arabia&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cly2verz8ggo\">have now done so<\/a>. The 2024 summit pledged to admit 13 more, perhaps as associates or \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/static.kremlin.ru\/media\/events\/files\/en\/RosOySvLzGaJtmx2wYFv0lN4NSPZploG.pdf\">partner countries<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper, the nine-member Brics+ strikes a powerful pose. It has a combined population of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2022&amp;locations=BR-RU-IN-CN-ZA-SA-AR-EG-ET-IR-AE-1W&amp;most_recent_value_desc=true&amp;start=2020\">about 3.5 billion<\/a>, or 45% of the world\u2019s people. Combined, its economies are worth&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2022&amp;locations=BR-RU-IN-CN-ZA-SA-AR-EG-ET-IR-AE-1W&amp;start=2020\">more than US$28.5 trillion<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 about 28% of the global economy. With Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as members, Brics+ produces&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-66525474\">about 44% of the world\u2019s crude oil<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on my&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=06Y0fuwAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">research<\/a>&nbsp;and policy advice to African foreign policy decision-makers, I would argue that there are three possible interpretations of the purpose of Brics+.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A club of self-interested members \u2013 a kind of global south cooperative. What I\u2019d label as a self-help organisation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A reforming bloc with a more ambitious goal of improving the workings of the current global order.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A disrupter, preparing to replace the western-dominated liberal world order.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Analysing the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/static.kremlin.ru\/media\/events\/files\/en\/RosOySvLzGaJtmx2wYFv0lN4NSPZploG.pdf\">commitments<\/a>&nbsp;that were made at the meeting in Russia, I would argue that Brics+ sees itself more as a self-interested reformer. It represents the thinking among global south leaders about the nature of global order, and the possibilities of shaping a new order. This, as the world moves away from the financially dominant, yet declining western order (in terms of moral influence) led by the US. The move is to a multipolar order in which the east plays a leading role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the ability of Brics+ to exploit such possibilities is constrained by its make-up and internal inconsistencies. These include a contested identity, incongruous values and lack of resources to convert political commitments into actionable plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summit outcomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The trend towards closer trade and financial cooperation and coordination stands out as a major achievement of the Kazan summit. Other achievements pertain to global governance and counter-terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to trade and finance, the final communiqu\u00e9 said the following had been agreed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>adoption of local currencies in trade and financial transactions. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dirco.gov.za\/xvi-brics-summit-kazan-declaration-strengthening-multilateralism-for-just-global-development-and-security-kazan-russian-federation-23-october-2024\/\">Kazan Declaration<\/a>&nbsp;notes the benefits of faster, low cost, more efficient, transparent, safe and inclusive cross-border payment instruments. The guiding principle would be minimal trade barriers and non-discriminatory access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>establishment of a cross-border payment system. The declaration encourages correspondent banking networks within Brics, and enabling settlements in local currencies in line with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/coingeek.com\/russian-paper-hints-at-brics-cross-border-payment-system\/\">Brics Cross-Border Payments Initiative<\/a>. This is voluntary and nonbinding and is to be discussed further.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>creation of an enhanced roles for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndb.int\/\">New Development Bank<\/a>, such as promoting infrastructure and sustainable development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a proposed Brics Grain Exchange, to improve food security through enhanced trade in agricultural commodities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All nine Brics+ countries committed themselves to the principles of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/about-us\/un-charter\">UN Charter<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 peace and security, human rights, the rule of law, and development \u2013 primarily as a response to the western unilateral sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The summit emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy should prevail over conflict in, among other places, the Middle East, Sudan, Haiti and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Faultlines and tensions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the positive tone of the Kazan declaration, there are serious structural fault lines and tensions inherent in the architecture and behaviour of Brics+. These might limit its ambitions to be a meaningful change agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The members don\u2019t even agree on the definition of Brics+. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa calls it a platform. Others talk of a group (Russia\u2019s President Vladimir Putin, India\u2019s Prime Minister Narendra Modi) or a family (Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jianan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what could it be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brics+ is state-driven \u2013 with civil society on the margins. It reminds one of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/au.int\/\">African Union<\/a>, which pays lip service to citizens\u2019 engagement in decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One possibility is that it will evolve into an intergovernmental organisation with a constitution that sets up its agencies, functions and purposes. Examples include the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/\">World Health Organization<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.afdb.org\/en\">African Development Bank<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/ga\/\">UN general assembly<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it would need to cohere around shared values. What would they be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Critics&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lens.civicus.org\/brics-the-burgeoning-of-an-international-repressive-alliance\/\">point out<\/a>&nbsp;that Brics+ consists of democracies (South Africa, Brazil, India), a theocracy (Iran), monarchies (UAE, Saudi Arabia) and authoritarian dictatorships (China, Russia). For South Africa this creates a domestic headache. At the Kazan summit, its president declared Russia a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenceweb.co.za\/african-news\/ramaphosa-explains-putin-friendship\/\">friend and ally<\/a>. At home, its coalition partner in the government of national unity, the Democratic Alliance,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news24.com\/news24\/politics\/gnu-bust-up-ramaphosa-defends-russia-valuable-ally-remarks-da-says-sa-stands-with-valued-ally-ukraine-20241027\">declared Ukraine<\/a>&nbsp;as a friend and ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also marked differences over issues such as the reform of the United Nations. For example, at the recent&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/summit-of-the-future\">UN Summit of the Future<\/a>&nbsp;the consensus was for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/summit-of-the-future\/pact-for-the-future\">reform<\/a>&nbsp;of the UN security council. But will China and Russia, as permanent security council members, agree to more seats, with veto rights, on the council?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for violent conflict, humanitarian crises, corruption and crime, there is little from the Kazan summit that suggests agreement around action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unity of purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What about shared interests? A number of Brics+ members and the partner countries maintain close trade ties with the west, which regards Russia and Iran as enemies and China as a global threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some, such as India and South Africa, use the foreign policy notions of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2023\/01\/18\/taiwan-us-china-strategic-ambiguity-military-strategy-asymmetric-defense-invasion\/\">strategic ambiguity<\/a>&nbsp;or active&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/when-two-elephants-fight-how-the-global-south-uses-non-alignment-to-avoid-great-power-rivalries-199418\">non-alignment<\/a>&nbsp;to mask the reality of trading with east, west, north and south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The harsh truth of international relations is there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. The Brics+ alliance will most likely cohere as a global south co-operative, with an innovative self-help agenda, but be reluctant to overturn the current global order from which it desires to benefit more equitably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trade-offs and compromises might be necessary to ensure \u201cunity of purpose\u201d. It\u2019s not clear that this loose alliance is close to being able to achieve that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>By Anthoni van Nieuwkerk, Professor of International and Diplomacy Studies, Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>This article was first published by The Conversation.&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/brics-could-shape-a-new-world-order-but-it-lacks-shared-values-and-a-unified-identity-242308\">Read the original here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/789881\/south-africas-big-brics-trade-problem\/\">South Africa\u2019s big BRICS trade problem<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brics+ could shape a new world order, however there is seen to be a lack of shared values and a unified identity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":798133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[2091,19817,20882,9104,20881],"class_list":["post-798132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-brics","tag-brics-2","tag-thabo-mbeki-african-school-of-public-and-international-affairs","tag-the-conversation","tag-university-of-south-africa-unisa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798132"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":799105,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798132\/revisions\/799105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/798133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}