Linden Corbett

October 18, 2025

Officially beginning in 2009, the intergovernmental organization known as BRICS was formed. The group was intended as a response to concerns that international institutions had become dominated by the western global order and no longer served the interests of emerging economies. BRICS was originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but since 2009, BRICS has welcomed Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. The five initially coordinated over economic and diplomatic policies, financial institutions, and efforts to reduce dependency on the US dollar [1]. Currently, the global economy is dominated by the United States which allows the US to exercise “exorbitant privileges”. These privileges include the ability to “incur debt financing in international markets at preferential interest rates” which puts the US at a distinct advantage in terms of financing and influence [3]. However, the US seems to be losing its hold on its title to global hegemon. Seeing shifts within domestic politics in relation to foreign policy and President Trump’s widespread imposement of ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on both allies and rivals indicate an atrophied version of American power. As time and American populist ideology continues, perhaps it is time for the globe to begin considering how to  preserve global stability and prosperity. 

BRICS’ strength largely derives from its members’ abilities to produce and grow their respective economies at high rates. More specifically, as Jim O’Neill, former UK Treasury Minister, examines it, real economic growth is determined by the size of a nation’s workforce and the economy’s productivity. He further explains that due to their “population size, associated size of their workforce, and the scope for productivity catch-up, it was quite easy to show that the potential growth rate of BRICS were higher than those of more advanced economies” [4].  The member-states of BRICS comprises around 40% of the globe’s population, their economies account for 37.3% of global gross domestic product [5]. Comparatively, the EU and the United States each account for about 14% [5].  BRICS has also been cooperating more in recent years between its member states on issues such as national security, economic development, cultural exchanges, and humanitarian projects.  Between China and Brazil declaring commitments to designate 2026 as the Year of Culture and Tourism with integrated tourism routes intended for “BRICS-wide cultural itineraries” [6] and BRICS commitments to creating unified volunteer and literature coalitions, it is evident that the motivation is burning hot. 

Despite the potential promise the economies of the member states demonstrate, a murkier picture begins to emerge. Internal divisions are especially present within the group. China and India in particular have engaged in a significant geopolitical rivalry including a territorial standoff in the Himalayas, competition for strategic positions in the Indian Ocean, and more [7]. India is also a key member of the Quad — a partnership between the United States, Japan, and Australia whose undeclared purpose is to block Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific [7]. China and Russia continue to take stances against expansion of the United Nations Security Council’s permanent membership, which India, Brazil, and South Africa aspire to acquire [7]. 

 Additionally, at the seventeenth summit hosted in early July of 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, nearly half of BRICS members were absent. This includes Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, China’s President Xi Jin Ping, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Irene Mia, an editor with the International Institute for Strategic Studies [8].  These absences underscore a hesitation to attract attention from the second Trump Administration. The location of the seventeenth summit also continues Brazil’s preference in the strategic value of non-alignment to support Global South powers while acting as a “moderating force within BRICS to make it a non-Western, rather than anti-Western, coalition” [8]. Brazil has long championed policies in non-alignment and multilateralism to remain in good relations with the major powers in international institutions. Whereas Brazil, along with the majority of the Global South, prioritizes trade, climate, and development, Western countries are trending towards defense spending [8]. With the addition of the renewed Trump Administration policy that dismisses multilateral norms, increasing pressure begins to accumulate as nations struggle to balance economic ties with China and unstable security and political alignment with the United States [8].

The imposement of tariffs from the Trump Administration provides a clear picture of the growing divide between America and the globe. Canada’s economy “shrunk by 1.6 percent in the second quarter of 2025 largely due to falling exports” [9]. Canada’s unemployment rate rose above 7 percent in August. These effects have led Canada to lay an economic framework that distances itself from the United States and instead form alliances with European counterparts. In Japan, America’s break from stable international trade policy is affecting Japan’s faith in allied security cooperation and investment [9]. The tariffs also have negatively impacted highly strategic partnerships with Australia and New Zealand,including critical aspects such as intelligence sharing, popular support in government for US ties and a rules-based global order led by the US, and concerted efforts to curb Chinese proliferation in democracies and Pacific Island states [9]. This growing divide in international investment and allyship provides an opportunity for individual members of BRICS, or BRICS, to strategically engage in trade agreements while the United States continues on its path of unilateral movement. 

The future of BRICS strategic policy seems to favor non-alignment, or rather coordinated multi-alignment. This strategy allows members of BRICS to mitigate exposure to political and geopolitical risks by enabling them to organize alongside the major powers while coordinating in South-to-South initiatives [8]. A couple key examples include joint investment in green energy and infrastructure that is already underway in South Africa, the promotion of trade between countries in the Global South, joint lobbying for global governance reforms, and the exchange of information in climate adaptation [8]. Additionally, multi-alignment allows member nations to focus on regional integration platforms such as ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the African Continental Free Trade Area, and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which has the potential to increase their respective bargaining power in international negotiations and attract international partners. Simply put, the future for BRICS is bright. In the years to come, BRICS should take advantage of American disinvestment from the global economy while remaining strategic about policies of non-alignment on the global political landscape. In all, as more issues and instability begin to accumulate, one thing is sure: BRICS is building. 

Photo Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Fallen_bricks.jpg/640px-Fallen_bricks.jpg

Works Cited

[1] Ferragamo, Mariel, and Rocio Cara. 2025. “What Is the BRICS Group and Why Is It Expanding?” Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-brics-group-and-why-it-expanding.
[2] Unterhalter, Jessica E. 2025. “BRICS | Members, History, Name Origin, Proposed Currency, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/BRICS.
[3] Uhlig, Harald. 2024. “Global Hegemony and Exorbitant Privilege | Becker Friedman Institute.” Becker Friedman Institute for Economics. https://bfi.uchicago.edu/insights/global-hegemony-and-exorbitant-privilege/.
[4] O’Neill, Jim. n.d. “Jim O’Neill: Is the Emerging World Still Emerging? – IMF F&D.” International Monetary Fund (IMF). Accessed August 31, 2025. https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/jim-oneill-revisits-brics-emerging-markets.htm.
[5] “BRICS: Here’s what to know about the international bloc.” 2024. The World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/brics-summit-geopolitics-bloc-international/.
[6] “Brazil and China announce 2026 as year of culture and tourism to boost bilateral travel and cultural exchange.” 2025. TV BRICS. https://tvbrics.com/en/news/brazil-and-china-announce-2026-as-year-of-culture-and-tourism-to-boost-bilateral-travel-and-cultural/.
[7] Patrick, Stewart. 2024. “BRICS Expansion, the G20, and the Future of World Order.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/brics-summit-emerging-middle-powers-g7-g20?lang=en.
[8] Mia, Irene. 2025. The International Institute for Strategic Studies. 2025. “BRICS and the future of strategic non-alignment.” The International Institute for Strategic Studies. https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2025/07/brics-and-the-future-of-strategic-non-alignment/.
[9] Plunkett, Suzanne. 2025. “Geopolitics of Trump Tariffs: How U.S. Trade Policy Has Shaken Allies.” Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/geopolitics-trump-tariffs-how-us-trade-policy-has-shaken-allies