International Journal of Political Science and Governance 2024; 6(1): 23-26

E-ISSN: 2664-603X
P-ISSN: 2664-6021
IJPSG 2024; 6(1): 23-26 BRICS: A step towards a multipolar world?
www.journalofpoliticalscience.com
Received: 11-12-2023
Accepted: 12-01-2024 Mansi Parashar
Mansi Parashar
Masters with Honors in DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/26646021.2024.v6.i1a.298
International Relations [A
joint program by the United Abstract
Nations Institute for Training A multipolar world has been a dream for most of the big players of international relations, Russia
and Research (UNITAR) & especially has been an advocate for a multipolar world since the rise of American hegemony. The list
Moscow State Institute of of advocates for a multipolar world has been increasing ever since the rise of regional powers,
International Relations consisting of the other BRICS members besides Russia. BRICS was formed as an attempt to promote
(MGIMO University)], the idea of a multipolar world by balancing the traditional western influence, by establishing a platform
Moscow, Russia for the major regional powers to communicate and collaborate. This paper aims at examining the extent
to which BRICS has achieved its purpose, by analysing the course of history, and the development of
BRICS as an intergovernmental organisation since its formation. The research is mainly conducted
using primary and secondary data, and the analysis of the literature written by international relations
experts.

Keywords: Regional powers, developing countries, influence, cooperation, development

Introduction
Establishment of BRICS: Purpose and Origin
Interestingly the term BRIC, which was to take up such significance in the world of
international relations, was first coined by an economic researcher working at Goldman
Sachs, Jim O'Neill, to create a category for the large, fast-growing developing countries in
purely economic and financial terms, in 2001 when the world was defined as an unipolar one
being led by the United States in every sphere.
However, if we trace back the idea of multi-polarity, we will reach a struggling leadership of
Russia in the late 1990s under its then Prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov. He propounded
the idea of RIC (Russia, India, China), which had also made some progress by holding
foreign minister level annual trilateral meetings since 2001 to discuss certain non-traditional
security issues like migration, trafficking, terrorism, etc. Since 2006 the Brazilian foreign
minister was also invited to join the RICs foreign ministers meetings, this invitation and the
idea of including Brazil was that of the Russian Foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, however
these meetings were largely informal in nature in 2006 & 2007. The year 2008, witnessed the
first formal meeting amongst the BRICs foreign ministers in Yekaterinburg, Russia, which
was again a Russian initiative.
The 2008 financial crisis proved to be a turning point in proving the legitimacy of the
developing countries and their contest for power, as the developed countries were facing
profound financial crises while the developing countries had relative economic stability.
Within two months of the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy when the BRIC countries’ finance
ministers and central bankers met in Brazil, then within the following four months they met
four times which acted as a base for these countries to become the agenda setters in the April
2009 G20 summit. In late November, the BRICs countries’ first ever summit was announced
Corresponding Author: to be held in Russia in 2009. This way the financial crisis of 2008 laid the basis for the
Mansi Parashar development of the political dimension of BRICs.
Masters with Honors in
International Relations [A
The agenda of the first BRICs summit included discussions and considerations about the
joint program by the United reforms in international institutions, especially the financial institutions namely the World
Nations Institute for Training Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) which were and still are considered the
and Research (UNITAR) & puppets in the hands of the west. Another key theme was about reducing the global
Moscow State Institute of dependence on the US Dollar by reducing US dollar assets in their existing reserve, the
International Relations
Russian government was also eager to discuss ways to limit the use of US Dollars in intra-
(MGIMO University)],
Moscow, Russia BRICs trades.

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However, the main objectives of the summit revolved of BDB was being materialised in the form of the New
around development issues and plans, ranging from science Development Bank (NDB), and a Contingent Reserve
and education to natural disasters. Arrangement (CRA) was also being established. The
institutionalisation of BRICS can be seen as a major step of
Development of BRICS as an intergovernmental walking away from the western influence and west
organisation influenced financial institutions.
The results of the BRICs first summit and the role these The western attempts to isolate Russia after the annexation
countries played during the 2008 financial crisis and the of Crimea, gave a new geopolitical purpose to BRICS as its
following G20, were visible in the form of IMF quota members decided to take a firm stand against any such
reforms of 2010 which said to include the BRIC economies action, for instance when Australia threatened to exclude
in the, which are considered as emerging markets and Russia from G20, BRICS issued a collective statement in
growing economies, in the 10 largest members of the IMF favour of Russia and the concept of multipolarity.
for the first time. The seventh BRICS summit in Ufa, Russia (2015) saw a
By 2010, the BRICs was already receiving formal and change in the national situations of the BRICS members,
informal membership requests from several countries such while Russia, Brazil, and South Africa were undergoing
as Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey. Right before the second political unrest, India under its newly elected Prime
BRICs summit in Brazil, the IBSA (India, Brazil, South Minister, Narendra Modi, and China were continuing to
Africa) summit was also held in Brazil which allowed South flourish. BRICS 'stand on the annexation of Crimea invoked
African President, Jacob Zuma, an opportunity to hold accusations from the rest of the world about being biased
bilateral meetings with all the BRICs leaders individually, and being selective about breaking the rules. This summit
which proved fruitful and ultimately turned the BRIC into marked the inauguration of NDB and CRA. Also, although
BRICS. This development altered the complete character of after a delay and wait of five years the IMF reforms which
this intergovernmental grouping by making it a secure were approved in 2010 were finally implemented in 2016,
global alliance representing all the major regional powers of showcasing the relevance of BRICS in influencing the
the developing continents. The inclusion of an African international organisations.
country symbolised the inclusive nature of BRICS as an The next BRICS summit in Goa, India (2016) witnessed a
organisation. contrast in the economic situations of the BRICS member
The third BRICS summit in Sanya, China (2011) countries, where on one hand India was reaching for
symbolised their rising interest and will to comment and becoming one of the fastest growing economies, Brazil on
showcase their dissatisfaction about the manner in which the the other hand was facing severe economic and diplomatic
intervention in Libya was carried out. Another thing that problems. But, despite this contrast the goals aligned and the
influenced this rise of interest was the presence of all the summit proved to be a success.
BRICS countries in the UN Security Council at that time. The prelude to the ninth BRICS summit in Xiamen, China
This summit concluded with production of an action plan as (2017) was quite disturbing as a border standoff occured
a sign that BRICS now sought to be more than a consulting between India and China when China began building a road
group and head towards strengthening cooperation and in a disputed area. However, the legitimacy of BRICS was
working together in various spheres like education, again proved as India & China agreed to pull back their
international security, finance, agriculture, etc. troops and the tension defused right before the summit.
The fourth BRICS summit in New Delhi, India (2012) Another major focus of this summit was the focus on
marked the beginning of the institutionalisation phase of the strengthening people to people exchanges. The list of
BRICS by putting forth the idea for a BRICS development terrorist groups over which the BRICS expressed their
bank (BDB), as there was disappointed with the pace of concern included Pakistan's Lashkar-e-taiba, which was
reforms in the global financial institutions, and the seen as a win for India's diplomacy against Pakistan.
interaction amongst BRICS had broadened from merely The tenth and the eleventh BRICS summit were hosted
intergovernmental to interaction amongst the working under the newly elected presidents of the nations,
groups, think tanks, business people, and other. This summit Johannesburg, South Africa (2018) and Brasilia, Brazil
even went to the extent of warning the collective west and (2019), showcased that the change in leadership did not
Israel against military action over Iran's controversial affect the inclination of the member countries towards
nuclear program, and even criticised the developments BRICS, and not just this but the leaders also saw this as a
taking place in Syria. platform to address the international community. The tenth
By the time of the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South summit saw an increased cooperation in the sphere of
Africa (2013) the significance of BRICS was established to emerging technologies by establishing the “BRICS
an extent where the Syrian President was asking them to networks of Science parks, technology business incubators
mediate in the conflict in his nation, however another and small and medium sized enterprises”, besides this the
explanation for this can be seen as the close Russian ties summit also saw an expansion in NDB's operations by
with Assad's government and China's interest in the middle announcing the establishment of the Project preparation
east region which might have prompted Assad to seek fund, and a regional office in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
BRICS allegiance. This summit also attempted to include The twelfth BRICS summit was supposed to be held in St.
the African countries in one of its forums, “BRICS Leaders- Petersburg, Russia (2020) but due to the outbreak of the
Africa Dialogue Forum”; this can be seen as an active global COVID-19 pandemic it took place in the format of a
attempt to establish the significance of BRICS in the video conference, this clearly indicated the willingness of
African continent. the leaders to maintain momentum and continuity. The
It was during the sixth BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil declaration focused on marking the 75th anniversary of the
(2014) that the western media took great interest as the idea UN, reinforcing their trust in multilateral institutions, and

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calling for global peace in the backdrop of COVID-19 Hangzhou in China on the margins of the G20.
pandemic. Two innovative institutional establishments The bilateral relations of the BRICS countries can also be
happened during this summit, first, the BRICS rapid seen as a hindrance in the alignment of their decisions. The
information security channel (BRISC) which would allow most significant is the India-China relationship, both the
the central bank of the member countries to tackle countries have issues with each other ranging from border
cybersecurity, second, the BRICS local currency bond fund. conflicts in the Ladakh region and the state of Arunachal
The thirteenth BRICS summit hosted by India (2021) was Pradesh of India, to maritime conflicts in the Indian Ocean
again hosted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The region, from trade related issues to issues of cybersecurity,
pandemic was the main highlight of the summit. the list seems to extend and overlap itself in various spheres.
During the fourteenth BRICS summit hosted by China However, despite the various issues with and within the
virtually (2022) two important regional players applied for BRICS, the BRICS countries have managed to take firm
membership in BRICS, namely Iran and Argentina, thus decisions, strengthen cooperation, make and fulfil promises,
clearly depicting the increasing value of BRICS in and further the objectives of BRICS as an organisation.
international relations. A key issue of BRICS concern was BRICS has stood still despite the instability in Russia
the Ukrainian crisis, the member states encouraged caused by the Ukrainian crisis in fact, except Brazil, all the
diplomacy and communication however China, India, and other BRICS countries abstained from voting in the UN
South Africa had chosen to not participate in the voting held general assembly. BRICS has also allowed Russia to
in the United Nations denouncing Russia's invasion of showcase that it is not isolated despite the attempts from the
Ukraine. The other key highlight was the continuing west to do so. Even the change in the national leaders and
discussions on post pandemic economic recovery. their beliefs did not shake the role and importance of
The most recent BRICS summit hosted by South Africa BRICS, be it the power shift in Brazil from leftist leadership
(2023) saw an expansion as 40 countries expressed their to rightist and then back to leftist, or the change of
interest and 23 formally applied for membership, out of leadership in India. So, the future of BRICS looks bright
which six of them- Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi enough to ensure its growth in the international relations
Arabia, and UAE were invited to become full members of despite all its problems and shortomings.
BRICS on 1 January 2024.
Also, the Russian President's decision to attend the summit Conclusion
virtually marked the maturity level of the member states and The fact the western hegemony and influence is being
their understanding as the Russian President's presence questioned, makes it safe enough to state that the global
would have diverted the attention of the summit in a world order is atleast undergoing a transition from a
different direction, but at the same time his virtual presence unipolar to a multipolar world. But to assess to what extent
did not affect the relations amongst the members. BRICS has played a role in bringing about this transition is
the purpose of this paper.
Future of BRICS The actions taken collectively by BRICS have ensured that
The interests, values and the ambitions of the BRICS the west no longer holds the sole authority to taken actions
countries do not always align, and in some cases even lie in regarding the global issues, that the international
the opposite direction. From an economic perspective, organisations function in a more democratic manner, that
Russia as a major oil exporter will benefit from high energy the voices of the global south is heard, that the problems
prices whereas India as a major oil importer will suffer due faced by the global south are being looked after and
to this. Even in political terms, Brazil, India, and South discussed, that the global threats like diseases,
Africa are ardent followers of democracy, meanwhile cybersecurity, terrorism etc. are being discussed on all the
Russia has a Presidential democracy combined with the levels.
practices of Oligarchy, and China has a communist regime It can be said that the rise of regional powers in terms of
in place which is rather authoritative in comparison to the economics and influence led to the rising importance of
governments of other BRICS countries. On one hand Brazil BRICS on the global stage and its effective working as well,
and India are aiming for a power distribution in the and the rise of BRICS led to the rise of these regional
international organisations, while Russia and China are not powers in terms of diplomacy. However, BRICS is a mere
really that enthusiastic about it since they are permanent platform for pushing forward the idea of multipolarity, and
members of the Security Council and their privileged in that sense it has certainly being developing its influence.
positions in the international organisations has benefitted To conclude about the extent to which BRICS has
them well over the years. China rather emphatically opposes succeeded in establishing multipolarity in the global world
Brazil and India's campaign to gain permanent UNSC order, it can be said that it has certainly shaken the western
membership. There is also a concern amongst the member hegemony and establishing the beginning of an era of
states about the intra BRICS trade imbalances which was multipolarity.
also raised during the tenth BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
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