From https://x.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1871411903144312847
More here : https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2024/10/26/brics-13-partner-countries-summit-kazan-russia
(minus Argentina since the 1st of January 2024)
(and Saudi Arabia is still hesitating)
The G77(, now 134 members), was founded 60 years ago, in 1966, while the G7 was only founded 7 years later in 1973, and the G20 in 1999.
The BRICS formed in 2006(, officially in 2009), with the specific aim of countering neo-colonial institutions like the “unholy trinity”(, IMF, WTO, World Bank), hence more extended than the diplomatic relations of the G77, e.g. by creating investment banks.
More secondarily they also funded the Contingent Reserve Arrangement. They’re also trying to break free from other neo-colonial tools by other means than creating institutions, e.g. with de-dollarization. Russia created an alternative to the western-dominated SWIFT, which may be adopted by the rest of the BRICS+, as well as the Mir payment system.
And there are also other non-financial institutions, such as the BRICS Institute of Future Networks(, 5G, a.i., …), space cooperation, the BRICS Innovation Network, the BRICS Vaccine Research Center, …
Russia and India are exchanging gas, China and Brazil are exchanging solar panels, etc..
The BRICS Business Council, Business Forum, the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, and probably hundreds more, you get the idea. They’re not going to wait for the west to stop putting themselves first. Ideally, there would be world institutions and everyone would help each other and laugh at the idea of being nationalists at the expense of others, but we’re not there and may never be, how many countries are waiting for a chance for revenge, or would feel safer with their old opponents definitely out ? Eat or be eaten i suppose, even if there are other ways…
I think the highlights from this group are the ASEAN countries (hopefully we see Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos next). the thailand/malaysia/indonesia triangle is gonna do great with BRICS, it justs makes sense.
I’m not so sure Vietnam will, unfortunately. While it doesn’t necessarily go against their “four no’s” defence policy, I can see how it might be interpreted that way.
While joining BRICS isn’t exactly siding with one country against another, the purpose of this is likely to avoid getting involved in antagonistic block conflict, which the west will interpret this as.
I also think there’s still some territorial conflict, especially regarding maritime exclusive economic zones that need to be settled with China. Vietnam may want to resolve this before joining an economic block where China has significant influence.
Nani? I thought the maritime disputes with between China and Vietnam had been settled already. I swear, I read a few years ago that a compromise had been reached.
I haven’t seen that. I was chatting with a local in Vietnam and they were telling me that students learn about the dispute in the education system. Their information could just be out of date though. Let me know if you find what you read previously.