There is no time to underestimate the potential of the BRICS countries

On Wednesday, India succeeded in becoming the fourth country in the history of the world to land a spacecraft on the surface of the moon. Even the moon landing site itself was amazing; This is the first time someone has succeeded in landing near the south pole of the moon. No wonder there is jubilation in the giant nation.

But this also indicates something else: the initiative in terms of research and initiative does not lie solely with the former great powers. To be more specific, the movement is no longer “from the West to the rest of the world,” although there is still an abundance of capital and competence in the United States and Europe.

The situation is increasingly described as moving towards a more “multipolar” world order than before.

Exactly that was It is also the message of the so-called BRICS countries that met in South Africa this week. BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and together these countries account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economy. It is also open to welcoming new member states, which could make BRICS a more important player in the long run.

You may have different opinions about it. All sovereign states are free to seek whatever form of cooperation they want, and there is no natural law that says that Europe or the United States will always have primacy in international contexts. One of the most important driving forces behind BRICS, as well as other forms of multilateral cooperation, is the disillusionment many countries feel about the way we have acted in the West at historically sensitive times.

In the past it was about colonialism, while nowadays it is more about “neo-colonialism” in the form of demands specifically defined our Definition of human rights to be implemented as a condition of grant or trade. And this comes at the same time that the West’s reluctance to share vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has sent a signal that we cannot be trusted when the going is bad.

But despite In this way one can understand the frustration that brought the BRICS together, and it is at the very least a pleasant taste clinging to cooperation. Most of these countries have a bad reputation when it comes to human rights. Both China and Russia are totalitarian states, with parts of the population suffering greatly from the oppression of their leaders.

We could say the same about Narendra Modi’s India, even though his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power under a relatively well-functioning democracy. For its part, South Africa has become increasingly corrupt under the leadership of the ANC, thereby damaging its former good name.

To some extent, these factors will act as obstacles to BRICS cooperation as well. Even in a multipolar world, China and India will compete with each other; Moreover, they have many serious border disputes to deal with. None of the five countries is also affected by the sanctions imposed on Russia, which has provided good negotiating positions by increasing its purchases of Russian gas and oil, but still shows its real impact when Vladimir Putin is forced to stay at home to avoid the risk of arrest. When he set foot on the land of South Africa.

As is often the case Otherwise, the picture is complicated. It’s an event that sounds like an idea that just a few days ago Russia tried to land a spacecraft at the moon’s south pole – but, as the Russian space authorities put it, “is no longer there as a result of the spacecraft crash”. The surface of the moon.” In particular, the most likely reason for this was sanctions imposed by the West, which made it difficult to obtain advanced technology components.

This may turn out to be prophetic even for plans hit this week at the BRICS meeting. But you never know. And it’s good not to underestimate what happens when the representatives of 40% of the world’s population get together.