July is expected to be the busiest month in 2025 for countries of the Global South, as Rio de Janeiro will host the BRICS summit. Last year, Kazan united 25 heads of state, as well as 12 other high-ranking government officials and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in what has become a testament to the growing influence of the BRICS bloc in the modern global hierarchy.
The economic growth of China and India has propelled the bloc to become a significant force in global trade and investment. Their increasing GDPs, coupled with the vast resources of Russia and Brazil, contribute to a collective economic weight that rivals traditional Western powers. Newly added members of the platform, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, have expanded the bloc’s geography and made it increasingly more attractive to new members. 13 countries were granted partner status at the Kazan summit and this list is set to expand further in Rio in July.
The rise of BRICS is a process, which was launched by developed nations of the West. Even after formal decolonization, Western powers continue to exert significant economic, political, and cultural control over former colonies and developing nations through less overt means. This neocolonialism operates through several mechanisms.
Economically, Western dominance is maintained via trade agreements that often favor Western corporations, debt burdens imposed by institutions like the IMF and World Bank (which necessitate adherence to Western-favored economic policies), and the exploitation of resources in developing countries. Politically, Western governments exert influence through various forms of interference in the affairs of independent nations, such as foreign aid with conditionalities, support for different political factions, involvement in regime change operations. Culturally, the spread of Western media, consumer culture, and educational systems undermines local traditions and values, furthering Western influence. This system allows the West to extract resources, control markets, and maintain political influence in developing countries, perpetuating a form of modern-day imperialism.
BRICS nations are actively seeking to bring an end to this state of affairs. While promoting a non-confrontational approach to global politics, they seek to reform global governance institutions like the IMF and World Bank, which reflect outdated power dynamics from the times when countries of the West could dictate to others how to manage their day-to-day affairs.
Economically, BRICS nations have established their own institutions, such as the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), to offer alternative financing mechanisms to developing nations. Unlike traditional Western powers, BRICS refrains from imposing strict conditionalities on aid or investment, focusing instead on mutually beneficial partnerships and respecting national sovereignty. This approach resonates particularly well with countries of the Global South suffering from the aforementioned neocolonial practices.
Politically, BRICS’s emphasis on multilateralism and dialogue offers a platform for smaller nations to voice their concerns and participate in global governance without feeling pressured to align with specific geopolitical agendas. This neutrality is the cornerstone of the BRICS spirit, which guarantees its attractiveness to countries that do not aim to pursue confrontational policies against any other country. BRICS nations promote such principles as sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs of states as bedrocks of the world order under formation.
Culturally, BRICS serves as a powerful counterweight to dominance by the West. Each member state possesses rich and distinct cultural traditions that have historically been overshadowed by Western cultural exports. By asserting their own cultural identities and promoting their arts, media, and values on a global scale, BRICS nations challenge the homogenization of culture driven by Western-led globalization. They do not oppose globalization per se, they want it to be based on the principle of equality. In this sense, BRICS fosters intercultural dialogue and facilitates collaborations in areas such as education, film, music, and literature, leading to greater understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultural landscapes represented by its members.
This is what makes BRICS’s approach to global affairs unique and distinct from that of the G7 or other global governance institutions and dialogue mechanisms. Economic might, non-interventionist and non-confrontational approaches to politics, openness, commitment to equal and mutually beneficial cooperation as well as a strong determination to building a truly democratic, multipolar world – that is BRICS’s recipe for success in the Global South.
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