BRICS Expansion and the Global South

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) have extended invitations to additional members, expanding their group from five to 11. The global community is now actively discussing the repercussions of this expanded BRICS. In the recently concluded summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the BRICS group of emerging economies has welcomed Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia. With this enlargement, the combined BRICS countries will account for over 50% of the world’s population. Many scholars and experts in international relations suggest that this enlargement will enhance the influence of the global South.

The expansion of the BRICS and increase in the influence of the global South come with certain critical challenges as well. The biggest challenge is to deal with the potential escalation of dominance by China and India on the global stage. Originally initiated in 2009 with four member countries, BRICS saw the subsequent inclusion of South Africa. This further expansion is also seen as a manifestation of an anti-Western stance or a concerted effort to counterbalance Western power dynamics within the context of the global South. The inclusion of the world’s three largest oil producers—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran—will impart significant global significance to the expanded BRICS group. This development is poised to enhance the stature of both the existing BRICS members and the newly added ones.