In a column final yr about what was then nonetheless the proposed enlargement of the BRICS group, I ended by saying, “For Brazil, India and South Africa, the precedence might be to be sure that new members don’t simply function allies of China or pals of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, however somewhat contribute to their visions of other world governance. They may even search to make sure that they themselves don’t lose affect to the brand new states that enter.”
When BRICS met final week in Kazan, Russia, it appeared that Putin and Chinese language President Xi Jinping had gained the preliminary debate on each counts. 4 new members—the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia—attended the summit with full voting rights.
The doorway of the brand new member states shifted the stability of energy inside BRICS away from electoral democracies and elevated the notion that the bloc is a membership of autocrats aligned with China and Russia. Whereas India’s large financial system and inhabitants imply it carries affect wherever it goes, the brand new members additionally diluted the general affect that Brazil and South Africa have within the group as nicely.
