Why BRICS is not an enemy of the West

The 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan chaired by President Vladimir Putin shows that the West’s goal of demonizing him personally and isolating Russia internationally has failed dramatically. Twenty-four world leaders attended the Kazan summit, including those of the four new BRICS nations which joined the five existing members of the bloc this year. 

President Putin was in his element at the summit which he marked with his confident personality. He held well publicised bilateral meetings with key leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and held a lengthy press conference with his usual élan and thoroughness.

The number of countries interested in joining BRICS – above 30 – shows that the nations of the Global South want to be a part of non-Western forums in order to widen their geopolitical options and reduce their vulnerabilities to Western pressures on the political, economic and security fronts.

The Ukraine conflict has dramatically exposed these vulnerabilities with the West’s confiscation of reserves and state assets of third countries, frequent use of draconian sanctions against adversaries which affect third parties, the weaponization by the US of its control over the dollar based global financial system, etc. The lesson of what the West can do to a powerful, resource-rich, nuclear-armed country such as Russia when interests clash is not lost on the Global South countries.

They seek a reformed global political, security and financial system based on equality and equity. They want more attention to be paid to their concerns and priorities. They are increasingly dismayed by the West’s double standards and regime change policies. 

Within forums such as BRICS, member countries and partners can develop mechanisms of cooperating amongst themselves to mutual benefit in terms of development projects, financial support, connectivity, trade, culture and people-to-people contacts, etc.

The BRICS Summit was held under the theme ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security’, with the objective of promoting a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development and inclusive growth. The leaders noted the emergence of new centers of power and economic growth, which could pave the way for a more equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.

Building a consensus

With mounting interest in BRICS in the Global South, the question of expanding its membership and the criteria for that no doubt presented difficulties. BRICS is a consensus-based forum. With expansion, building a consensus would become more difficult, as new members would enter with their own issues and priorities. 

With enlargement, the working and the credibility of the forum could be affected if consensus building became a serious problem There is no voting system within BRICS. Already the meeting of the BRICS foreign ministers in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod in June, attended by the four new members, could not issue a joint communiqué because of differences on certain points.

President Putin has publicly recognized that any further expansion is avoidable at this stage. The founding members, he believes, have now worked together for years and know how the forum functions. The new members would need to adjust themselves to the methods and spirit of the forum, before any further expansion is considered. 

With so many claimants for membership, choosing one country and not another would have been politically problematic. The answer lay in establishing a partnership status for new aspirants, and not admitting new members. 

Even the decisions to offer partnership status to select countries would have required intensive discussions as they had to be based on consensus, with each member state having its preferences. A balance had to be found in order to ensure that no BRICS country was particularly advantaged in the choice of partners. 

At the summit, Prime Minister Modi had stated that India was ready to welcome new countries into BRICS as partner countries, but underlined that all decisions in this regard should be taken by consensus, and the views of BRICS founding members should be respected. He added that the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures adopted during the Johannesburg summit should be complied with by all.

Thirteen new BRICS partners were accepted in Kazan – Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Türkiye, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. That four members of ASEAN have become partners is very significant as it broadens the BRICS base in Southeast Asia. Indonesia had in 2023 withdrawn its application for membership. With the new government in power, it has decided to go ahead. 

Algeria was unhappy that it could not become a member when BRICS was expanded last year, but has now obtained partner status. The two most influential Central Asia countries have become partners too. Those left out may be unhappy, but they are SCO members already, or are separately part of Russian- or Chinese-led forums. Nigeria and Uganda are meritorious choices from Africa. 

The inclusion of Belarus is a clear Russian geopolitical preference. Latin America is represented by countries that have been political targets of the US. Venezuela could have been a choice, but it appears that Brazil was not in favor. The geographical spread of the new partner countries is noteworthy. 

Türkiye’s inclusion as a NATO member seems anomalous, but clearly geopolitical considerations have heavily weighed in the decision. Türkiye’s geopolitical and economic importance for Russia is obvious. 

India had reservations about Türkiye becoming a partner because of its anti-Indian positions on Kashmir in the UN General Assembly (the only country to do so besides Pakistan) and in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as because of its role in blocking India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Eventually, India did not stand in the way of Türkiye becoming a BRICS partner, no doubt in deference to Russia’s preference. 

Saudi Arabia has maintained ambiguity about its BRICS membership, despite having been admitted as a member in 2023. It welcomed President Putin to Riyadh in December 2023, ignoring the International Criminal Court’s judgment against him. Saudi Arabia has not formally conveyed its acceptance. It was represented at the Kazan summit by its foreign minister. The Saudi crown prince received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Riyadh while the summit was being held in Kazan, which might suggest some degree of pressure by Washington.

Kazan Declaration

The road ahead for BRICS in bringing about a better balance of power within the global system by promoting multipolarity will not be easy. Interdependence amongst nations is a reality and fragmenting the global system into blocs will be retrogressive. The objective is to cooperate on a more equal and equitable basis, not a conflictual one. BRICS can be a catalyst for that.

The BRICS agenda is clearly very ambitious. The goals of BRICS in forging alternatives to the dollar dominated financial system are not easy to achieve. Within the BRICS countries there are rivalries and divisions, their political systems differ, some are deeply anti-West, others have friendly ties with the West, and the economic disparities within the group are large.

The BRICS Kazan Declaration, with 134 paragraphs, covers a whole gamut of issues: reforming the UN and the WTO, eliminating unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions and maintaining a strong and effective Global Financial Safety Net with a quota-based and adequately resourced IMF at its center. The key role of the G20 as the premier global forum for multilateral economic and financial cooperation, and the debt vulnerabilities of both low- and middle-income countries are underlined.

The declaration also reiterates the need to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, as also a commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy and mediation, while acknowledging the legitimate and reasonable security concerns of all countries. A consensus language on the Ukraine issue was found, with Russia showing a lot of flexibility. 

The premeditated terrorist act of detonating handheld communication devices in Beirut on September 17, 2024 has been condemned in the declaration, as have Israeli actions in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. The Israeli attack against the diplomatic premises of Iran in Damascus on 1 April 2024 has been described as a violation of the relevant Vienna Conventions. The issue of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all states in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait has found mention, as has respecting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The paragraph on terrorism is very strongly and comprehensively worded. The issues of the spread and proliferation of disinformation, misinformation, including propagating false narratives and fake news, as well as hate speech especially on digital platforms have been flagged.

Jointly developing the New Development Bank into a new type of MDB in the 21st century has been envisaged, the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism (ICM) has been asked, inter alia, to focus on finding acceptable mechanisms of financing in local currencies.

To enhance financial cooperation within BRICS, the widespread benefits of a safe and inclusive cross-border payment instruments have been recognized, the use of local currencies in financial transactions between BRICS countries and their trading partners has been welcomed, and the strengthening of correspondent banking networks within BRICS and enabling settlements in local currencies in line with BRICS Cross-Border Payments Initiative (BCBPI) has been encouraged. 

The feasibility of the establishment of an independent cross-border settlement and depositary infrastructure, BRICS Clear, will be examined. The BRICS finance ministers and central bank governors will continue to consider the issue of local currencies, payment instruments and platforms, and report back by the next presidency. 

There is a call for the design of a fair and equitable global framework for data governance. 

View from New Delhi

India, as a country that has seen the transition of the RIC (Russia, India, China) forum to BRIC and BRICS, is committed to the forum and supports its objectives rooted in promoting a multipolar world. 

Prime Minister Modi noted at the Kazan summit that in its new avatar, BRICS accounts for 40% of the world’s population, about 30% of the global economy, and has emerged as an economy of more than $30 trillion dollars. The New Development Bank created by BRICS, he said, had emerged as an important option for the development needs of the countries of the Global South, with development projects worth about $35 billion having been sanctioned. 

He noted that the BRICS Startup Forum proposed during India’s presidency in 2021 would be launched this year. Modi welcomed the consensus reached for the BRICS Open Carbon Market Partnership under Russia’s presidency. He also welcomed efforts to increase financial integration among BRICS countries, noting that trade in local currencies and smooth cross-border payments would strengthen economic cooperation within BRICS.

Preventing inflation, ensuring food , energy, health and water security were matters of priority for all countries in the world, he said. New challenges had emerged such as cyber deepfake and disinformation. 

Very importantly, Modi said that BRICS had to send a message to the world that it was not a divisive organisation but one that worked in the interest of humanity. Putin had cited Modi at Kazan when the president said that BRICS was not anti-West, it was non-West.

Modi advocated a single-minded, firm support of all BRICS countries to counter terrorism and terror financing, with no double standards, besides taking active steps to stop radicalization of youth in member states. He mentioned the need to work on global regulations for cyber security and for safe and secure AI.

BRICS, he said, should raise its voice for reforms of global institutions such as the UN Security Council, multilateral development banks, and the WTO in a time-bound manner. However, he said, BRICS must be careful to ensure that it does not acquire the image of one that is trying to replace global institutions, instead of being perceived as one that wishes to reform them.

All in all, with the Kazan summit under the Russian presidency, the inclusion of new partners, and the willingness to develop new intra-BRICS financial mechanisms, the grouping has inscribed itself emphatically on the global geopolitical canvas.