... when the association, contrary to expectations, did hardly anything to assist in countering the COVID-19 pandemic. While initially considered a club of the most dynamic economies, the union of five countries has become internally highly heterogeneous. China and India continue to vie with each other as leaders of economic growth, while Brazil, South Africa and Russia have witnessed a systemic crisis since the mid-2010s, when the fall in GDP alternates with stagnant growth. Economic difficulties in Brazil and South Africa have led to a change of elites. The new leaders have sought to critically ...
... synchronize views. In the last few years, nearly a decade into its establishment and operation, BRICS is facing a crisis. On the one hand, the crisis has a specific set of causes, which include an economic downturn in three of its countries (Russia, Brazil, South Africa) as well as the worsening contradictions between China and India or between China and Brazil. The accumulated dissatisfaction with the actual results of the grouping’s ten years of operation has also contributed to these trends, since many initiatives remained mere slogans, including the goal to amplify ...
... sanctioned objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.” In other words, China may also be a subject to sanctions at one point partially or fully.
Tristan Kenderdine:
US–Iran Conflict Would Strengthen China’s Position in the Middle East
China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa are the founding members of the
New Development Bank
. NDB’s 2017–2021 general strategy clearly highlights the bank’s commitment and intention to be new in three areas: 1) new relationships; 2) new projects and instruments; 3) new ...
... “the fourth industrial revolution,” and Africa’s special role in the context of South Africa’s claim to leadership on the continent. On the other hand, each party... ... on preventing militarization of outer space did not contain references to the Russia-China initiative.
Andrey Kortunov:
Why the World is Not Becoming Multipolar
The initiatives... ... Ministerial Conference on Ending Tuberculosis held in Moscow, the World Water Forum in Brazil, the Vaccine Research and Development Center and matters related to outer space...
... scientific-educational satellite called YouthSat to study solar flares and their influence on the Earth.
4. The IBSA trilateral alliance (India, Brazil, South Africa), formalized in 2003, stands for reciprocal exchange of knowledge in S&T sphere in space domain.
5. Surprisingly,... ... breath: Russia had to search for someone to replace American supplies of electronic components used in build-up of satellites. China came to the fore. Balance of interests was found and states started complementing each other’s space programs (Russia ...
... agriculture, science and innovation, education, health, culture, etc. has passed. The first summit of the heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) was held on the initiative of Russia in 2009 in Yekaterinburg. The format was considered successful, and summit meetings became annual. In 2011, the most economically developed state of Africa, South Africa, became an official member of the association at the summit in Sanya (PRC) with the aim of strengthening South-South ...
... consults initiated by Russia, preceded the summit and they will also follow it; all in all, they will be held
in over 30 areas
. Particular mention should be made of the BRICS Think Tank Council (BTTC) which brings together BRICS strategic centers in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Expert recommendations drafted at the scheduled meeting of the
Goa BRICS Academic Forum in September
were brought to the attention of the heads of state.
What changes did take place in a little over a year between Russia’s and India’s ...
... development programmes in the BRICS countries and those of its partners. A number of bilateral agreements on financing development programmes have already been reached between BRICS countries, including agreements on currency swaps (between China and Brazil) and bilateral loans (
between China and South Africa
).
Despite the fact that the BRICS countries are able to finance development programmes on a bilateral basis, a number of incentives encouraged them to set up the bank — firstly, the need to share risks, and secondly, the need to increase ...
....nl
Infosheet 18, 2013.
30
. Business TASS. November 21, 2012.
31
. South Africa MUST do More to PUT Africa at Core of Commercial, Foreign Policies // Standard Bank. June 12, 2012.
32
. Tjonneland, E. N. Providing Development Aid to Africa. Comparing South Africa with China, India and Brazil. // SAFPI Policy Brief 25. Cape Town: South African Foreign Policy Initiative. 2013.
33
. Kandalinstev, V. The BRICS Countries in the Flow of Foreign Direct Investments // Eastern Analytics. Yearbook 2012. Economics and Politics of Eastern Countries....
... expansion of sanctions and hasty military intervention, whereas it is preventive diplomacy and peacekeeping operations that must become the key tools.
BRICS Countries in Peacemaking
India indisputably outnumbers its BRICS partners and is followed by Brazil, with South Africa and China trailing behind. Russia is the unquestionable underachiever, with the numbers of its military and police in the UN missions on a clear downward spiral.
During the past decade, Western countries have been curtailing their participation in the UN ...
