The 15th BRICS Summit has begun in Johannesburg, South Africa. Many are the expectations aroused by this edition of the summit, taking place in the midst of a convulsive international political and economic panorama full of questions.
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The European conflict, the global economic crisis, the balkanization of the African continent with half a dozen conflicts, including the civil war in Sudan and the imminent intervention in Niger, add new challenges to the bloc's development and sustainability strategies.
5 countries make up the BRICS so far, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Today they are meeting to discuss various issues of integration and collaboration, highlighting the prospect of expanding their member states and updating financial cooperation.
Five countries make up the BRICS so far, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Today they are meeting to discuss various issues of integration and collaboration, highlighting the prospect of expanding their member states and updating financial cooperation.
In this regard, it has been announced that Brazil supports the incorporation of Argentina into the BRICS, and China, for its part, is trying to get closer to the bloc based on its bilateral ties with South Africa, where Xi Jinping has been optimistic. Also, noteworthy in this regard is the participation of Cuba, which incorporates a small nation with a weak economy into the space of dialogue and debate of the bloc of emerging powers, as a sign of the group's aspirations to become a space for solid promotion of the Global South.
"I defend that our Brothers from Argentina can participate in the BRICS, it is very important for them to be in the BRICS", stated Brazilian President Lula on social networks.
The success of the BRICS has aroused great international interest. About 40 countries have shown interest in joining the bloc, and some 23 countries have formally applied for membership. Nations of different levels of development that still meet the definition, despite the controversies, of emerging economies, have a great difference between their socio-economic structures.
In this sense, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia are among the aspirants. Many of these countries are experiencing some kind of socio-economic emergency that requires them to find an intelligent and sovereign exit to the international market, realizing that they cannot empower this emergency by depending on a single country, or global power more specifically, as well as on a single hard currency to sustain and channel sustainable development strategies.
Notwithstanding these commonalities and intentions of understanding, this BRICS summit will have its own challenges. There are many different interests among the members, which increase when you add up the positions of the candidates. Different democratic models, some with a strong authoritarian character, environmentally friendly economies and others heavily dependent on carbon. Perhaps the strong common point is that many of these economies are looking for a viable alternative that will make them independent of US hegemony and Western logics.