What Are the BRICS Good For? by Joseph S. Nye, Jr. - Project Syndicate


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BRICS Expansion and Global Influence

The article analyzes the significance of BRICS' expansion with the addition of new members, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. This expansion gives BRICS a combined population representing 45% of the world's total. While some observers believe this signals a shift in global power dynamics, potentially challenging Western influence, the author expresses skepticism.

Skepticism Towards BRICS' Leadership Role

The author questions BRICS' capability to become a leading global political force. Key arguments against this include:

  • Insufficient representativeness of global interests.
  • Lack of internal unity among member nations.

Therefore, the article concludes that despite the expansion and increased population representation, BRICS faces significant challenges in achieving its potential as a global power center.

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Following the addition of new members to the BRICS, some observers believe that the group has a good chance of becoming the new lodestar of global politics and international affairs. But the organization is neither representative enough nor sufficiently united to lead others.

CAMBRIDGE – One question that 2025 may begin to answer is whether the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is becoming the new center of power in world politics. Now that the group has added new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates) and come to represent 45% of the world population, some believe that it is consolidating the (misleadingly named) “Global South” and posing a serious challenge to American and Western power. But I remain skeptical of such claims.

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