🌍 BRICS Rio Summit 2025: Expansion, Expectations & Emerging Fault Lines 🌍

Yesterday’s BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro reminded us why this bloc of emerging powers still matters—and why its path forward is anything but straightforward.

Quick rewind

Coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) became a diplomatic forum in 2006 and a formal summit‑level group in 2009.

South Africa joined in 2010, turning BRIC into BRICS—an aspiring counterweight to the G7.

Institutions like the New Development Bank (NDB) and Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) were created to rival the World Bank and IMF, offering equal voting rights instead of US‑EU dominance.

What’s new in Rio

1️⃣ Rapid enlargement: Egypt, Iran, UAE, Ethiopia and Indonesia are now full members. Argentina declined; Saudi Arabia is still undecided.

2️⃣ High‑level no‑shows: President Putin attended virtually (ICC warrant), while President Xi sent his premier—dampening optics and ambition.

3️⃣ India’s agenda: PM Modi spotlighted the Pehalgam terror attack, rallied support for the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, and pushed UN Security Council reforms and greater Global South representation.

4️⃣ Muted deliverables: The Rio Declaration offered general endorsements but few concrete actions on de‑dollarisation, credit‑rating alternatives or conflict mediation.

Why it matters

Potential power: BRICS now accounts for ~46 % of global population and nearly a third of world GDP—enough to shape trade, finance and development norms.

Internal rifts: Democracies (India, Brazil, South Africa) juggle ties with the West, while Russia and China frame BRICS as an explicit anti‑G7 platform. Divergent priorities challenge cohesion.

Strategic ambiguity: For India—and many in the Global South—BRICS isn’t about choosing sides; it’s about expanding options in a polarising world order.

Big question 👉 Can BRICS translate demographic heft into coordinated influence without “cement” to bind its diverse bricks together?

I’d love to hear your take: Is expansion a strength or a strain?

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