Russia hosts the BRICS summit, promoting a new world order agenda towards the West

Russia is rolling out the red carpet for its geopolitical allies as it hosts the latest BRICS summit on Tuesday, pushing its agenda to create a “new world order ” challenges the West.

The original grouping included Brazil, Russia, India and China before South Africa joined in 2010, giving its name to the organization of rapidly developing economic nations. Since then, it has become a geopolitical forum for the world’s most powerful countries outside the West.

BRICS now has more influence after Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates joined the group in January, with membership of the bloc becoming an attractive prospect for countries wanting to promote promote trade, investment and economic development.

Russia is trying to attract the so-called “Global South” – or economically developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America – and contrast it with the “Global North” of industrialized nations, traditionally led by the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly comments on his ambitions to establish what he called a “new world order” to compete and usurp the geopolitical and economic superiority that the West led by the US has.

Russia, which holds the BRICS rotating presidency and is heavily sanctioned and economically isolated by the West, may also look to this year’s summit to demonstrate that it still commands respect on the market. globally and have powerful allies willing to turn a blind eye to their ongoing war. in Ukraine.

Putin described the strengthened BRICS grouping as a “strong sign of the association’s growing power and its role in international affairs” and on Friday signaled that he intended to form the so-called “BRICS+” format to challenge the West on this issue. both geopolitical and economic fronts.

“The countries in our association are fundamentally the driving force behind global economic growth. In the near future, BRICS will generate the main increase in global GDP,” Putin told officials and businessmen last Friday at the BRICS business forum in Moscow, which took place before the group’s conference. summit, in comments translated by Reuters.

Mr. Putin added: “The economic growth of BRICS members will depend less and less on outside influence or intervention. This is essentially economic sovereignty.”

In early October, Putin said Moscow was ready to use the summit to discuss with allies “the parameters of interaction in the emerging multipolar world and was ready to discuss issues of order building.” new world with all our friends and partners.” and like-minded people,” he said, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

Putin added that “in this spirit, we are preparing the BRICS and Outreach/BRICS Plus summits,” referring to the final day of the three-day summit when officials from nearly 40 countries Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America focus. attended as part of the group’s efforts to expand ties with the “Global South”.

One security analyst told CNBC that expanding the BRICS alliance both makes sense and is effective.

Callum Fraser, a researcher on Russian and Eurasian security at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “This is a sign of a collective movement away from the West, representing a fundamental change in world order seeks to challenge Western economic hegemony.” (RUSI) think tank, told CNBC on Monday.

Fraser added that “it remains unclear to what extent BRICS+ will be able to challenge the Western-dominated G7, or even to what extent they can adjust their vision of the international system”.

“Currently, the main glue that binds them together is the desire to achieve the same quality of life as in the West that they feel cannot be achieved through cooperation with the West. Ultimately, BRICS+ is anti-Western only in that it acts as an alternative organization. This means it remains to be seen what BRICS+ will offer its member states, but the possibility of increased cooperation between members is very likely,” he said.

Fraser added that Russia’s role as host of the summit would be “used with maximum effect to demonstrate Russia’s strong position in this emerging order”.

It is unclear whether the elephant in the room – Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine – will be acknowledged at the summit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia newspaper that the conflict in Ukraine was not on the agenda.However, he emphasized that participants could “raise this issue at their own discretion,” according to a Google translation.

The Kremlin appeared keen to avoid mentioning what it called “special military operations” in Ukraine, stating that the BRICS+ discussions would concern “urgent international issues, in particular focusing on the escalating situation in the Middle East and interactions between BRICS countries.” and the Global South for the sake of sustainable development.”

Putin is expected to hold meetings with various leaders in attendance, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

There are also expectations that Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian could sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” at the summit, which could signal their commitment to strengthening cooperation military and defense. after several years of exchanging military and technical assistance amid the war in Ukraine.

Meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are also scheduled to take place this week. according to opinion from Yury Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy assistant. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva canceled his trip to Russia after suffering a head injury in an accident at his home last weekend.

Saudi Arabia, which has been invited to join the BRICS group but has not officially joined, will also participate in the latest summit in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan. Argentina decided not to join the group in 2023, citing foreign policy changes.