As the BRICS Leaders Summit, scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 22nd to 24th, 2023, draws closer, the substantial increase in applications for participation in this platform has attracted notable attention. In relation to this matter, Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has made a statement disclosing that a total of 22 country leaders have formally declared their intentions to join the BRICS consortium.[1] Furthermore, Pandor has appended that a significant number of unofficial membership applications have also been received. Among the nations with official submissions, the following are listed: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Irrespective of membership applications, it has been underscored that 67 leaders from countries within Africa and the Southern Hemisphere have been extended invitations to partake in the BRICS Summit. The primary objective of BRICS resides in cultivating trade, political, and cultural cooperation amongst its constituent member states. However, the selection of leaders who were invited to the recent summit predominantly from nations within the Southern Hemisphere, while omitting Western countries, carries profound implications pertaining to the evolving global paradigm. Led by China and Russia, the BRICS platform is progressively evolving into a multilateral forum championing the interests of the Global South. Indeed, both Beijing and Moscow, in dissent to the unipolar world view guided by Western leadership, espouse a conceptualization of a global order marked by multipolarity and a more inclusive global participation.
On the other hand, the United States (US), United Kingdom, Germany, and some other European countries characterize the actions of Russia and China as “challenges to the international order” in their published national strategy documents. These two actors are referred to as “systemic rivals.” While criticizing Moscow and Beijing, the West consistently emphasizes the importance of the “rules-based international order.” This is because, within the current system, the Western bloc sees itself as a hegemonic power and rejects any attempts to change this status quo.
In contrast, Russia and China support the expansion of BRICS as a global cooperation platform against the backdrop of the US-centered Western hegemonic approach. However, the exclusion of the West from this endeavor raises concerns about the potential rise of BRICS as another influential pole. In this context, the Global South is expected to play a significant role in constructing a multipolar world. BRICS, in its turn, will contribute to this world-building process. For instance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov criticized French President Macron’s intention to participate in the BRICS Leaders Summit, labeling it as “inappropriate guest” remarks.[2] The host country South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor confirmed Macron’s absence from the summit.[3]
The countries expected to be invited to the BRICS Leaders Summit are historically those that have opposed Western imperialist policies and are often categorized by the West as “third world countries.” These participants mostly consist of nations that were part of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War era. Therefore, this platform will primarily contribute to the construction of a multipolar world. On the other hand, this formation could also evolve into another axis advocating for the Global South against the West. Hence, the potential for entering a new era of a “bipolar world” still exists.
China, a strong advocate for the expansion of BRICS, views this platform as a significant lever for building a global world. In this context, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to BRICS countries last year to establish a “global security community” serves a strategic purpose.[4] This call is also highly compatible with China’s ideals of a multipolar world, characterized by its “Global Security Initiative” and “Global Development Initiative.” Through BRICS, countries from the southern hemisphere are becoming part of this globalization process led by Russia and China. On the other hand, the West is in the process of revising its collective defense organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to address global issues. Western leaders argue that NATO must now have a “global concept” to effectively address contemporary challenges.[5]
As a result, the worldviews and globalization efforts of the West and China are driven by different motives. While the Western world adopts an approach focused on defense and security, China tends to prioritize peaceful globalization centered around economics and development. In this context, China prefers the expansion of the BRICS platform for shaping the new global order, while the West supports the enlargement of NATO as a defense organization. It is clear that the Global South has chosen to prioritize economic growth and development, and they strongly voice their opposition to a unipolar or bipolar world view. In this changing landscape, Germany, emerging as a prominent Eurasian actor within the Western bloc, is aligning itself with the advocates of a multipolar world order. As the inclination towards multipolarity grows worldwide, states are increasingly tilting towards platforms led by Russia and China to counterbalance the West. Both Russia and China, through the conduit of BRICS, aspire to promote multilateralism, reject Western hegemonic approaches, and build a collective community grounded in mutually beneficial principles.
Both Russia and China, through the conduit of BRICS, aspire to promote multilateralism, reject Western hegemonic approaches, and build a collective community grounded in mutually beneficial principles.
[1] “Güney Afrika: BRICS Üyeliği İçin 22 Ülke Başvurdu”, TRT Haber, https://www.trthaber.com/haber/dunya/guney-afrika-brics-uyeligi-icin-22-ulke-basvurdu-783102.html, (Date of Accession: 11.08.2023).
[2] “Russia Objects to Presence of French President at BRICS Summit”, AA, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/russia-objects-to-presence-of-french-president-at-brics-summit/2928583, (Date of Accession: 11.08.2023).
[3] “Güney Afrika: BRICS Üyeliği İçin 22 Ülke Başvurdu”, a.g.e., (Date of Accession: 11.08.2023).
[4] “Xi Calls on BRICS Countries to Build Global Community of Security for All”, Xinhua Net, “https://english.news.cn/20220519/82a6dd1e9a324e7f821bdc1d2940f6b1/c.html, (Date of Accession: 11.08.2023).
[5] “UK’s Liz Truss: NATO Should Protect Taiwan Too”, Politico, https://www.politico.eu/article/liz-truss-nato-taiwan-protect/, (Date of Accession: 11.08.2023).
