Next week, from the 22nd to 24th of August, BRICS leaders will meet for a summit in South Africa. Reuters reports that the leaders will deliberate on strategies to transform this alliance, encompassing a quarter of the global economy, into a geopolitical power capable of contesting Western control over global affairs.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin has an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Ukraine, he will not be attending the summit.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
There is little information on what they plan to discuss, but it is expected to discuss whether to expand the alliance.
Reuters writes thar the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa will discuss whether to include the dozens of “Global South” countries waiting in the queue to join. For instance, China aims to broaden its geopolitical sway, thus pushing for BRICS expansion, whereas Brazil is showing reluctance due to concerns that such expansion might dilute the alliance’s standing.
Based on the information from South Africa, Reuters reports, that around 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the alliance.
These countries are said to include Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Egypt.
Reuters explains that the main thing that unites the BRICS countries is skepticism about the world order.
They believe that the existing world order serves the interests of the United States and its allies, who establish and promote international norms but do not always respect them.
The theme of the 15th summit of the bloc is “BRICS and Africa”, stressing that the alliance can forge links with Africa, which is increasingly becoming a stage for competition between world powers.
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