BRICS Welcomes 5 New Members Amid Global Tensions: What’s Next for the Bloc?
This October Putin will host the first BRICS+ summit in Kazan from 22-24 where 5 new countries – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE will join the club.
With more than a dozen countries considering or applying to join, BRICS+ now represents 50% of the world’s population and 40% of global trade.
The summit is clear: BRICS is going to keep growing and challenge the Western led institutions like G7 and G20.
BRICS wants to have more say in global governance structures, targeting the financial systems long controlled by the West.
But the diversity among BRICS countries – different economic models, political systems and national interests – will make unity complicated.
According to Jose Juan Sanches, President of CMA Group Brazil “BRICS+ will be a new platform to promote diverse interests, not just against the West.”
Geopolitical Impact on Global Structures: G7, G20 and Beyond
Western analysts are viewing BRICS+ expansion with skepticism, some see it as a strategic response to the growing North-South divide.
The G7 has been the club of rich democracies, while the G20 – created in 1999 and elevated to leader level summits in 2008 – was meant to bridge the gaps among big economies.
But divisions within the G20 have grown as East-West tensions rise, and the group sometimes struggles to address shared crises, from global health to energy security.
The new members bring both advantages and disadvantages for BRICS+. On one hand its collective economic weight – 40% of global oil exports and significant influence on energy markets – makes it a counterbalance to the G7.
But as Sanches says “the internal diversity might limit the bloc’s ability to act as one”. For example:
- Economic Disparities: China dominates the bloc’s GDP, followed by India and Russia, making it a hub-and-spoke structure that makes equal influence difficult.
- Political Divergence: From Brazil’s democracy to China’s authoritarian regime, the political systems of BRICS+ countries are different, making it hard to have a unified stance on global issues.
- Geopolitical Rivalries: Countries like China and India, rivals in regional influence, are part of competing alliances, including the US led Quad to balance Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific.
BRICS+ and G20
BRICS expansion will impact the dynamics of other multilateral bodies like the G20 which will have its summit in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro.
While BRICS members represent 35% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power, the question is will they be able to translate this into cohesive strategies within the G20.
Some see BRICS+ as a forum for pre-negotiated positions, and the G7 to do the same and further fragment the G20.
But countries like India, Brazil and South Africa want strategic autonomy within the G20.
Sanches sees the G20 as a flexible coalition builder, bridging the geopolitical gaps that BRICS+ will create.
As middle powers within BRICS+, they want to advance their priorities – global economic reform and sustainable development – without being tied to one single bloc.
- Strategic Autonomy: Many BRICS+ members want to be flexible to align with both East and West.
- Middle Power Influence: Brazil and India see G20 membership as a way to advance their agendas on climate, trade and governance reforms.
Conclusion: BRICS+ means a new era of multipolarity
BRICS+ expansion shows the bloc is determined to have a bigger say in global economic governance and challenge the Western dominance.
But the diversity of interests and economic structures within BRICS+ will make cohesion difficult, especially as the group grows beyond its original members.
Putin’s statement that 34 more countries are interested to join shows BRICS is getting more popular but also raises questions about the bloc’s ability to function with a wider membership.
As BRICS+ grows, the G20 will be the space to balance the interests between East and West. Countries like Brazil, India and South Africa which are in the middle will be key to keep the G20 inclusive and cooperative.
Their membership in both BRICS+ and G20 will make them the intermediaries in a fragmented world. Going forward the US and its allies will have to consider more inclusive reforms to address the reasons behind BRICS growth, a stable multipolar world where collaboration trumps division.
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