Opinion | Expanded Brics should beware the disruptive pull of geopolitics

The UAE and Saudi Arabia, which both have close ties to the US, joining Brics could complicate any effort to make the bloc more active in geopolitics

Members who do not want a further split from the West could find themselves in a delicate balancing act with the stated goals of China, Russia and Iran

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a joint news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 8. The addition of Saudi Arabia and the UAE brings huge amounts of oil wealth and influence to the Brics grouping but, given their close ties with the United States, also potential complications to diminish the global role of the US and the West. Photo: AP

Published: 8:15am, 7 Sep 2023

The Brics bloc is adding six new members. By bringing on Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the grouping is expected to be more reflective of the emerging power of the Global South.

This development signals the emergence of a more strategically conscious Global South, and fuels a debate on the future of multilateral organisations as political and strategic considerations become a part of their ideology.

An important question to ask is why this is happening now. West Asia has been a hotbed of deepening economic and diplomatic cooperation in recent years. Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia are forming warmer ties with former rivals in Iran and Israel.

The major powers of the region have shown they are eager to partake in the economic benefits of multilateralism. The UAE’s move to join the expanding Brics grouping, for example, shows its commitment to multilateral collaboration within West Asia and beyond.

It is also indicative of the growing awareness among major powers of the Global South of their increased relevance in the Indo-Pacific and how they can use that to balance between the United States and China.

Before the Brics summit, the world saw the emergence of I2U2, a grouping of India, Israel, the UAE and the US that is centred on security cooperation and has been described as a “Middle East Quad”. The UAE securing its membership in I2U2 before joining Brics shows that the country’s strategic concerns in its home region still take precedence.

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