The Brics paradox: expanding influence, patchwork progress
It has condemned tariffs and military strikes on Iran, but analysts say Brics’ true test is in moving beyond rhetoric to deliver results
The 10-member bloc – which includes founders such as China, Russia and India, as well as newer entrants like Iran, Egypt and Indonesia – today represents nearly half the world’s population and accounts for roughly 40 per cent of global economic output.
Conceived two decades ago as a forum for rapidly expanding economies, Brics has evolved into what many now view as a Chinese-led counterweight to the Western order.
The test is whether the grouping agrees on much more than it disagrees
Observers point to Sunday’s joint declaration as evidence that Brics could yet become “an alternative structure to a US-led world order”, cautioning that the group’s growing diversity is also its greatest challenge.