Stewart Patrick, of the Carnegie Foundation, analyzes the consequences of this expansion, while a summit is held in Russia.
The group was created in 2009 by Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa – the original members whose acronym gave BRICS its name.
But since January 1, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also joined BRICS, creating a bloc representing more than 37% of global GDP and potentially at odds with other institutions such as the G7 and NATO.
Stewart Patrick of the Carnegie Foundation analyzes the consequences of this expansion, while a summit is currently being held in Russia.
Strengths and weaknesses of BRICS enlargement
“This is an informal club, they are mainly united in the sense of what they oppose, which is an economic order that they see as being against them”believes the principal researcher within the think tank.
With the crumbling of free trade, the invasion of Ukraine and tensions in Taiwan, the EU’s relations with China have become increasingly stormy and those with Russia have more or less collapsed.
But increasing BRICS membership could actually weaken the alliance, says Stewart Patrick.
“As new members are added, diversity and heterogeneity will make it even more difficult for BRICS to achieve coherent worldviews and policies”he said.
“The whole thing is very impressive on a large map of the world. But in terms of unity, that’s where, I think, we need to look twice.”.
With regional rivals China and India, the group is already experiencing internal tensions; new members such as Saudi Arabia and Iran are “historically enemies”adds the researcher.
Controversial participations
The most controversial new member is Turkey.
The country has the second largest army in NATO. His foreign minister recently suggested that this geopolitical change was due to repeated refusals to join the EU.
“Turkey showing that it has other diplomatic options and other alignments”explains Stewart Patrick. “This allows Erdogan to take on the role of defender of emerging powers and not just be in tune with the West.”
But it is the presence of another European that attracts the most attention.
António Guterres, the former Portuguese Prime Minister turned UN Secretary General, is present, which the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry described, in a message on “bad choice which does not advance the cause of peace” and who “damages the reputation of the UN”.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called Guterres’ decision a“unacceptable” in a message published on X.
“This could be seen as legitimizing Vladimir Putin’s policies. I don’t see the point of such an approach”says Stewart Patrick.
For others, the concern over BRICS is not so much geopolitical as economic, given the potential power of a bloc that is now two and a half times the economic size of the European Union.
Enrico Letta, the former Italian prime minister, said this week that the BRICS summit underlined the need for Europe to join forces and integrate its economies, the theme of a report he wrote early of the year.
Strengthening the EU single market is a question of “know whether we want to become a colony of the United States or of China” in the near future, Mr Letta told MEPs on Monday.