What about the BRICS? examining power politics in a changing world order

ABSTRACT

The rise of the BRICS has been a significant event in world politics. The bloc represents more than half of the world’s population, has vast territories, has some of the largest economies, and possesses nuclear weapons. Its emergence poses a substantial challenge to the US-led liberal order. Has there been a shift in the world order? Have Western institutions, policies, and narratives been contested because of the BRICS? This paper aims to examine power relations in world politics and explore changes to the liberal order that emerged at the end of the Cold War. It also analyzes the BRICS as a group, its role in world politics and its potential as a counterhegemonic power.

KEYWORDS:

• BRICS
• liberal order
• power
• US
• hegemony

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. See Joint Statement of the BRIC Countries’ Leaders. 16 June 2009, Yekaterinburg. For all official BRICS documents, visit the BRICS Information Centre at http://www.brics.utoronto.ca/.

2. See BRICS summits’ statements.

3. China (excluding Hong Kong) has around US$1,000 billion in US notes, bonds, and bills (US Treasury 2023).

4. BRICS Summits.

5. Argentina withdrew its application in December 2023 (DW 2023). For an initial analysis of the expansion see Pant (2023).

6. For more details https://www.ndb.int/about-ndb/

7. For various initiatives, see http://www.brics.utoronto.ca/

8. Chinese, Indians, and Brazilians are among American universities’ top 10 international students (IIE 2023).

9. VI BRICS Summit Fortaleza Declaration. 15 July 2014.

Additional information

Funding

The author has received no financial support or funding from any entity to write and/or publish the present article.

Notes on contributors

Emilio Rodriguez-Triocci

Dr. Emilio Rodriguez-Triocci is a Research Fellow at the Florence School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute (Italy)