Quick Read
- The 2025 BRICS Summit in Brazil highlighted the bloc’s expansion to include new members like Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia.
- Internal divisions emerged, with key leaders from Russia and China skipping the summit.
- Africa sees BRICS as a means to diversify alliances and reduce Western dependency, despite concerns over China’s dominance.
- Brazilian President Lula called for global governance reform, criticizing Western sanctions and tariffs.
- The bloc’s rapid expansion has raised questions about its ideological coherence and long-term goals.
The 2025 BRICS Summit, hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6, marked a pivotal moment for the bloc that aspires to reshape global governance. Initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and later South Africa, BRICS has recently expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. While this expansion underscores its ambition to serve as the voice of the Global South, the summit revealed lingering tensions and challenges.
BRICS Expansion: New Members, New Dynamics
The inclusion of nations such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran has significantly altered BRICS’ composition, introducing countries with varying levels of economic development and contrasting political systems. This move, which began in 2024, was seen as a strategy to amplify the bloc’s global influence. African nations, including Egypt and Ethiopia, have also joined, reflecting the continent’s growing interest in diversifying alliances and reducing reliance on Western-dominated institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.
For Africa, BRICS offers potential access to alternative funding sources through its New Development Bank (NDB). Since its inception in 2015, the NDB has funded over $40 billion in development projects, though most of these have been concentrated in the original member states. African nations hope their membership will lead to increased investment, but concerns remain about unequal power dynamics, particularly with China, which dominates the bloc economically. According to The Africa Report, China accounts for nearly half of BRICS’ GDP, perpetuating an asymmetry in trade relations with African countries reliant on raw material exports.
Leadership Absences and Internal Divisions
The absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit highlighted internal rifts. Putin’s decision not to attend was influenced by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, while Xi’s absence was attributed to unspecified scheduling conflicts, with Premier Li Qiang attending in his place. These absences raised questions about the bloc’s cohesion and its ability to present a united front.
According to The Guardian, the rapid expansion of BRICS has diluted its ideological coherence. While the bloc initially positioned itself as a counterbalance to Western hegemony, the inclusion of autocratic regimes has caused unease among democratic members like Brazil, South Africa, and India. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the need for “inclusive global governance reform” during the summit, criticizing the West for weaponizing tariffs and sanctions and advocating for a multipolar world order.
Africa’s Calculated Gamble
African nations view BRICS as an opportunity to enhance their global influence. As Laurent Delcourt of the Tricontinental Centre (CETRI) noted, many African countries feel marginalized in existing global institutions. However, joining BRICS is not without challenges. Algeria, for instance, failed to secure full membership in 2023 due to its heavy reliance on hydrocarbons and lack of economic diversification. Instead, it joined a BRICS partner club, a secondary grouping for nations seeking eventual membership.
While BRICS presents itself as an alternative to the Western-led global order, critics argue that it risks replicating old patterns of dominance. Trade between Africa and BRICS members remains skewed, with African nations exporting raw materials while importing manufactured goods. Moreover, China’s reduced loans to Africa, coupled with its dominant role within BRICS, has raised questions about the bloc’s commitment to equitable development.
The Road Ahead
The 2025 BRICS Summit underscored the bloc’s dual identity: a champion of the Global South and a forum grappling with internal contradictions. Its expanded membership reflects a desire for greater inclusivity, but also poses challenges to ideological unity. As the bloc navigates its evolving role, the question remains whether it can deliver on its promise of a more balanced and equitable global order.
As BRICS continues to evolve, its ability to reconcile diverse interests and foster genuine South-South cooperation will determine its long-term impact on global governance.