Will Vladimir Putin do at BRICS what America dreads the most?
BRICS Summit 2024 at Kazan in Russia will be watched keenly by the United States. The BRIC grouping, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China, was formally started in 2006. In 2009, the first BRIC Summit was held in Russia.
In 2010, BRIC expanded to include South Africa, transforming into BRICS. In 2024, BRICS expanded further with the addition of five new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join the group, but has not yet taken up membership.
The group of diverse countries, some of which don't get along with each other well, is positioned as a main stage of an emerging multipolar world.
The theme of this summit is 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security'. India's presence in BRICS is seen as providing a balance to the bloc where Russia and China, who are opposed to the West, play a dominant role. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the BRICS is not «anti-West», but is just «non-West».
«BRICS was never meant to be against anyone. The Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) said that BRICS is not an anti-western group; it is a non-western group,» said Putin.
The US hasn't publically stated its concerns over the grouping, which has been seen to lack coherence so far. John Kirby, White House National Security Communications Advisor, has stated that the US doesn't view BRICS organisation as a «threat».
