brics: BRICS must expand, but not as ‘tseW’

The line for joining the BRICS club is long, and lengthening. Over 40 countries as disparate as Argentina and Ethiopia are knocking on the door that currently has five members. Two, awkwardly, happen to be India and China. That BRICS is a sought-after action destination is excellent, especially when many other legacy groupings, at best, seem past their sell-by date, or, at worst, seem exclusive to the point of being First Worlder isolationist. But what is BRICS’ USP? It is here that there is divergence, which the likes of China, Russia and Iran are keen to project as churlish refusal to let new entrants in.

On Tuesday in Johannesburg, Brazilian president Lula da Silva was cogent when he stated, ‘We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States. We just want to organise ourselves.’ Coming from a BRICS member that has, like India, known the value of ‘non-aligned’ issue-based support and pushback, Lula’s call-out is important. As is Joe Biden’s announced presence next month at the G20 summit in New Delhi. China’s and Russia’s attempted brand-hijacking of BRICS as an ‘anti-Western’ cabal seeking new members defuses the grouping’s real value: leveraging what is best, without becoming a go-to anti-Western platform best-suited for the likes of Taliban and Pyongyang. This doesn’t mean that the ‘West’ has been the poster-boy gardener of the global commons. But it was South Africa and India that led the large group of countries – not ‘anti-neo-imperialist’/neo-Cold Warriors China or Russia – demanding the rights to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines and treatments at WTO against Western manufacturers and their nations.

India – and other BRICS countries – must engage with the West as G20 members and beyond, both as partner and course-corrector. In the same manner, they should keep BRICS on an even keel. BRICS should expand, but expand for the right reason: for more countries to have a louder voice in conducting the world’s business. And not to just hold a placard with the sign, ‘tseW’ – the mirror-image opposite of ‘West’.