When it comes to the topic of BRICS, the West, and the European Union view it as a loosely closed group of countries with no ambition and future, and the only thing bringing them together is their shared stance against the hegemony of the West. Articles with headlines such as “BRICS is not an alternative to the EU”, “The US doesn’t see BRICS as a threat”, or “BRICS can never be like the EU and NATO”, are rampant in the Western media to highlight how insignificant BRICS is to the West and particularly Europe. Well, this may have been true more than 10 years ago when BRICS first started, however, over the years, what was formerly a mere group of emerging economies has evolved into a symbol of defiance against the traditional Western system. This is the reason why more than forty countries, including one from Europe, which are frustrated with the current Western-dominated system, are seeking to join BRICS. In the typical paternalistic and superiority complex of the West and the EU, they have forgotten the countries of the Global South which play a very significant role in why in a few year’s time BRICS will become a very big threat, especially to the European Union. In this video, we will show you how significant BRIC is and how it’s going to overtake the European Union.

Critics of BRICS contend that BRICS is characterized by members with open conflicts with each other as in the case of China and India, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Iran and the UAE, hence the group will not be able to achieve much on the global stage because the conflicts between the member countries will make it difficult to agree on issues, unlike the European Union whose member countries are closely linked not just economically but also politically. Well, you certainly cannot compare the unity and cooperation of members of the European Union which started in 1958 to that of the BRICS, an organization that started in 2009. Just like BRICS, the European Union started as an economic group with six countries that sought to foster economic interdependence in order to avoid conflict after the Second World War. There is no doubt that among the six countries that started the European Union, one or two had conflicts with each other. Yet that didn’t stop them from forming the union and today, the European Union has evolved from a mere economic group with six members to a unique economic and political union between 27 European countries. What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organization spanning many different policy areas – from climate, environment, and health to external relations and security, justice, and migration. The European Union certainly didn’t achieve this in one day.

So, the fact that the BRICS group currently has countries with internal conflict with each other doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to achieve their goal. For crying out loud, wasn’t India aware that China would be part of the group, or wasn’t Egypt aware that Ethiopia would be part of the group? Of course, they were but they still joined, meaning if the conflicts between these countries were so serious, then one of these countries would have declined the invitation to join the group. But, if these countries are willing to look aside their differences and work together to achieve the goal of reforming the current global system, then we should give them some credit. Now, as we earlier stated BRICS started in 2009 as an economic group with five members. However, the group has begin to evolve from a mere economic group to one that is now advocating for the reform of global institutions and introducing tangible initiatives to bring about such reform. For example, at the 2nd BRIC Summit held in 2010, the group called for a “reformed and more stable financial architecture” and this was followed by the establishment of the BRICS New Development Bank in 2014.

BRICS has also evolved in terms of its approach to peace and security. While the BRIC states were originally conceived through the lens of economics, this is arguably no longer the case. This security dimension of BRICS became apparent in March 2011, when four out of the five BRICS states chose to abstain from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1973, which addressed the international response to Gaddafi’s actions in Libya. These BRICS members who abstained from the vote were of the view that there should be no military solution to the conflict in Libya and were cautious about possible unintended consequences of an armed invasion. And guess what? They were right. The international military intervention in Libya is what has led to the current state of the country. In 2014, BRICS, again espoused a more cohesive view, this time regarding Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Brazil, China, India, and South Africa came out in support of Russia by abstaining from the UN General Assembly resolution that criticized the Crimea referendum.

According to the Africa Policy Research Institute, “BRICS is challenging the EU’s approach to global security and stability. The BRICS states are taking increasingly clearer stances on global security issues such as terrorism, that may challenge the way the EU approaches them. While the EU has traditionally relied on Western security alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to maintain stability, the BRICS is increasingly asserting itself as a global actor with distinct interests and values, particularly in the realm of global security issues such as terrorism. The current conflict in Ukraine stands out as a prominent example highlighting the divergent approaches to security taken by the EU and the BRICS. While the EU has consistently advocated for the use of sanctions against Russia, BRICS has vehemently opposed it because for them, unilateral sanctions are seen as impediments to the rise and development of States and are not effective in ensuring compliance. In addition, while the EU is not opposed to military intervention in solving state internal conflict, BRICS BRICS reject the militarization of disputes and conflicts, preferring political resolutions through diplomatic negotiations.

So, as you can see, BRICS is gradually evolving into a force to be reckoned with before the very eyes of the West and the European Union who continue to view it as insignificant. But, not everyone is blind to the increasing significance of BRICS. Countries have begun to view BRICS as important as the European Union and other Western grouping so much so that in November 2023, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, wrote separate letters to the BRICS members urging the BRICS to intervene in an “active, constructive and responsible manner to stop the Israeli regime’s war crimes against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. This call was seemingly heeded by South Africa who, on 29 December 2023, brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention.

Now, aside from all these, why do we say that in a few years, BRICS is going to be a much bigger threat to the EU? What is going to give BRICS an edge over the European Union? It’s one thing: the Global South. BRICS through its founding principles and its evolution over the years has been able to capture the attention of countries of the Global South. According to recent reports, about 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS.
And, all except one are countries from the Global South. Now, the reason why this is significant is because countries of the Global South are crucial partners in Europe’s policy and development, and over the years the partnership between Europe and the Global South has benefited Europe more, leading to brewing tensions. However, the entrance of BRICS has changed the game and provided an alternative for countries of the global south. On the first of January 2024, BRICS expanded to include six additional members. This latest BRICS round of expansion shows the manifestation of the desire of Global South countries to claim their share in economic development and take a leading role in global governance. So, unless the European Union re-evaluates its model for cooperation and development with the Global South, it risks the chance of forever losing the confidence and partnership of these crucial partners.

Following the latest round of expansion, the BRICS now represent close to half of the world’s population and make up 36% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product – more than that of the G7. This means the power of the Global South can surely no longer be denied on the big stage of world politics. The Global South’s dissatisfaction with the Western financing model explains part of the accelerating appeal of BRICS, and China has been exploiting this dissatisfaction with Western-dominated institutions, stepping in as an investor and lender of last resort for these countries, thereby strengthening its economic and financial ties with the Global South. According to French President Emanuel Macron, the BRICS are a manifestation of the fragmentation of the global political system that carries a “risk of a weakening of the West and more particularly of Europe.”

So, despite the fact that the BRICS are still far from forming one homogenous group with clear political common interests and goals, the fact is its common economic interests, its common stance against the hegemony of the West and its gradual evolution are capable of shaking the foundation of the current global economic and financial system.

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