The BRICS group held its 16th summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22-24. This was a major international diplomatic event, covered sparingly by U.S. mainstream media but receiving major attention in the Global South.
Thirty-six countries joined the conference, including the heads of state from founding members China, India, and South Africa, as well as host Russia. Also present were top leaders from Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was in attendance; the presidents of Cuba and Brazil sent regrets that they could not attend and sent their foreign ministers. Nicaragua also sent a high-level delegation.
Socialist-oriented countries such as Vietnam and Laos sent leading officials to the meeting, which was addressed by the new Marxist government in Sri Lanka.
Dumping the dollar…eventually
BRICS issued a 134-point “Kazan Declaration,” which outlined a vast, comprehensive agenda for joint work and cooperation. The agenda covers a broad range of activities in the areas of climate change and the environment, global health and pandemics, fighting international drugs and terrorism, supporting women’s participation, people-to-people cultural exchanges, and sports.
Of course, it will be necessary to monitor the actual implementation of this document, but the tone and goals are praiseworthy.
BRICS started in 2009 as a forum for discussion and cooperation on issues of international trade and finance; the agenda has since greatly expanded. This demonstrates that the spirit of democracy and cooperation is strong in the Global South.
Much attention prior to the Kazan meeting was given to the expansion of BRICS and also to economic and financial issues often called “de-dollarization,” the process of reducing international dependence on the U.S. dollar.
Russia, in particular, offered many proposals for new and independent, multilateral cross-border mechanisms for trade and finance. Ideas for creating a new currency have received much attention but are difficult and complex in implementation.
BRICS established a commission to study these proposals and is also looking at alternatives to the U.S.-run SWIFT international banking communications and wire payment system, as well as for insurance for international commerce.
Even without non-dollar and non-SWIFT alternatives, bilateral trade in other national currencies is already growing. SWIFT reports that the use of the U.S. dollar in international trade is down to 49%. Russia and China conduct most of their trade in rubles and yuan.
In another area, the BRICS New Development Bank, meanwhile, is providing billions in funding for green development projects in the Global South. The NDB president is Cristina Kirchner, the former president of Argentina, who champions the sustainable and real (not virtual) economy.
The BRICS agenda includes sharing advances in science and technology among the countries of the world, resources which are traditionally monopolized by the advanced capitalist countries of the West. For example, China has set up an international center for training in artificial intelligence so that less developed countries of the Global South are not left out of the AI revolution.
Alternative to the U.S. imperialist order
The politics of BRICS is to support multilateral cooperation and oppose hegemony. Greater inclusiveness in decision-making in international governance and economic institutions is emphasized, giving countries of the Global South more voice and representation.
BRICS stands for independent politics, but it is not opposed to any country. Cooperation with the highly-developed capitalist economies is welcome when based on mutual benefit, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
In this, the BRICS group represents the continuation of the principles of the Bandung Conference of Asian and African countries of 1955 and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence proposed by India and China at that time.
On the peace front, BRICS condemns Israeli aggression in the Middle East and calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance. In Ukraine, BRICS calls for negotiations to end the war. Urgent concern was expressed for the violence and humanitarian situation in Sudan.
The group strongly opposes the use of unilateral economic sanctions as a means of applying political pressure. BRICS leaders say that it stands on the founding principles of the U.N. Charter for peace, equality, and democracy.
In recent decades, economic dynamism and GDP expansion have shifted from the West to countries in the Global South, such as China. The old U.S.-led international system devised at Bretton Woods in 1945 is more and more inadequate and subject to manipulation by U.S. imperialism.
A number of new institutions are emerging which reflect the contemporary economic reality of a multipolar and multilateral world; BRICS is a major example. Its calls for inclusion are a push towards greater democracy and democratic reforms.
That approach makes BRICS highly popular in the Global South; some 30 countries have expressed interest in more cooperation or even membership in the group.
Membership grows, despite some bumps
BRICS has developed a new “partner” category to help manage the rapid expansion. Invited to join BRICS as new partner countries are Cuba, Vietnam, Bolivia, Turkiye, Indonesia, Algeria, Belarus, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Nigeria, and Uganda. They join current full members Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and United Arab Emirates.
Venezuela’s application for membership was vetoed by Brazil, which does not recognize the outcome of the recent presidential election. Lula reportedly said that Maduro has not abided by a promise to present the official results of the recent vote. The Venezuelan leader reacted to Brazil’s decision by calling it “an aggression” and a “hostile gesture.”
Celso Amorim, a Lula advisor and observer of the Venezuelan balloting, said the veto “has nothing to do with democracy, but with a breach of trust.” He said the Maduro government “promised us something and it was not done.”
While the mainstream corporate press focused heavily on the Venezuela situation, it was not the key issue of the meeting, which was a showcase of unity overall.
As for the socialist and socialist-oriented countries, it’s often asked why they are drawn to BRICS, which has a majority of countries with a capitalist socioeconomic system? The weaker imperialism and hegemony are, and the more democratic the global context, the better conditions for the socialist countries and people to thrive.
The trend toward independence and democracy is an essential co-development for the growth of the international working class and communist movement. The next BRICS summit in 2025 will be hosted by Brazil, which will surely have a Latin look and progressive stamp.
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