The extraordinary virtual summit of BRICS, convened on 8 September 2025 under Brazil\u2019s rotating presidency, offered both a reaffirmation of the bloc\u2019s multipolar ambitions and a sobering reminder of its enduring internal asymmetries. While the grouping \u2014 now enlarged and increasingly diverse \u2014 continues to project itself as a vanguard of a fairer, multipolar world order, its ability to deliver tangible outcomes remains constrained by diverging strategies, competing political systems, and uneven economic power among its members.<\/strong><\/p>\nFrom its early days as BRIC \u2014 an acronym coined in 2001 for Brazil, Russia, India, and China \u2014 to its present form encompassing South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia, BRICS has come to represent 55 per cent of the global population and over a quarter of global GDP. It is widely viewed as the primary geopolitical counterweight to the G7, advocating for an alternative to the Western-led order. Yet, as the 8 September virtual summit revealed, BRICS\u2019 internal complexities may hinder its capacity to move from symbolism to substance.<\/p>\n
The Rio de Janeiro\u2013hosted summit was billed as \u201cextraordinary,\u201d convened to address the challenges facing the emerging multipolar order and to craft a unified response to renewed U.S. tariffs and trade restrictions. In tone and ambition, the summit sought to underscore BRICS\u2019 collective vision of a more inclusive world order. But in practice, it reflected widening differences over how such an order should be achieved.<\/p>\n
China and Russia, facing international isolation and economic pressure from the West, continue to see BRICS as a strategic platform to counterbalance U.S. dominance. Their shared vision is one of systemic contestation \u2014 building parallel financial and governance institutions to challenge Western hegemony. Brazil and India, by contrast, adopt non-aligned and cautious approaches, focusing on reforming existing multilateral structures rather than replacing them outright.<\/p>\n
\u201cBRICS is at a crossroads,\u201d noted an analyst from the Brazilian Center for International Relations. \u201cIt wants to lead the new multipolar order, but its members disagree on what that order should look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since its founding, BRICS has been marked by power asymmetries \u2014 both economic and political. China\u2019s GDP is larger than those of all other members combined, and its global infrastructure push under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) grants it substantial influence. This imbalance was evident during the summit, where Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined a sweeping vision structured around three pillars: multilateralism, openness through inclusive globalisation, and solidarity through cooperation in trade, finance, and technology.<\/p>\n
Xi framed BRICS as a \u201cbulwark against hegemonism,\u201d implicitly positioning China as the leader of a new global South movement. Beijing also reaffirmed its commitment to expand the New Development Bank (NDB) and accelerate work on alternative payment systems, especially after Russia\u2019s exclusion from SWIFT in 2022.<\/p>\n
Russia, meanwhile, used the summit to advocate for deeper intra-BRICS trade and investment ties, particularly in energy and technology. Yet Moscow\u2019s partial release of President Vladimir Putin\u2019s remarks \u2014 reportedly omitting references to Ukraine \u2014 hinted at diplomatic caution amid Western scrutiny.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s participation stood out for its restraint. Represented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar rather than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Delhi\u2019s delegation emphasised rules-based multilateralism, fair supply chains, and climate action. India refrained from endorsing more radical ideas \u2014 such as aggressive de-dollarisation or a BRICS common currency \u2014 which could antagonise the United States, a key strategic partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia values BRICS as a forum for South-South cooperation,\u201d Jaishankar stated, \u201cbut multipolarity must not mean the replacement of one dominance with another.\u201d His remarks subtly underscored India\u2019s discomfort with China\u2019s growing preponderance in the grouping.<\/p>\n
The bloc\u2019s recent expansion \u2014 adding the UAE, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia \u2014 has both amplified its global profile and intensified its internal contradictions. Iran, aligning closely with Russia and China, pressed during the summit for the introduction of a common BRICS currency to rival the U.S. dollar. In contrast, the UAE and Indonesia, whose economies are deeply integrated with Western markets, displayed reluctance toward any policy that might threaten their financial stability or relations with Washington.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi openly challenged the bloc\u2019s endorsement of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, calling it \u201cunrealistic\u201d and urging an \u201cinclusive one-state model.\u201d His intervention highlighted the ideological fissures within the enlarged grouping \u2014 between democratic and authoritarian members, and between pragmatic and ideological foreign policies.<\/p>\n
The inclusion of non-democratic states has also reignited debates about the bloc\u2019s identity and credibility. Some members, particularly Brazil and India, worry that admitting states with authoritarian systems could undermine BRICS\u2019 legitimacy as a voice of the Global South.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is not expansion itself,\u201d said a South African diplomat familiar with the discussions. \u201cIt\u2019s whether BRICS can speak with one voice when its members view democracy, development, and sovereignty in fundamentally different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite these tensions, the bloc retains some pragmatic cohesion. India and China \u2014 despite their border disputes and strategic rivalry \u2014 have maintained limited cooperation within BRICS, including reciprocal support for each other\u2019s upcoming summits. Russia and India\u2019s engagement also serves as a counterbalance to a fully China-dominated grouping, giving BRICS a semblance of multipolar equilibrium.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s economic dependence on China has grown since Western sanctions took hold, yet Moscow continues to project independence through multi-platform diplomacy, including its outreach to Africa and Latin America. Brazil, under President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, has sought to restore its leadership credentials by championing South-South cooperation and resisting binary alignments.<\/p>\n
India, meanwhile, has leveraged the forum to advocate for secure critical mineral supply chains, indirectly pointing to China\u2019s dominance in rare earths processing. The proposal reflects New Delhi\u2019s attempt to recast BRICS as a forum for practical economic cooperation, not just geopolitical posturing.<\/p>\n
Among BRICS\u2019 tangible achievements, the New Development Bank (NDB) remains the most significant. Established in 2014 to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects, the NDB has approved more than US$35 billion in loans. Yet questions persist over its operational autonomy and the disproportionate influence of Chinese capital.<\/p>\n
Efforts to establish alternative financial mechanisms \u2014 such as the BRICS Pay system and proposed cross-border digital currency frameworks \u2014 continue, but progress has been uneven. Brazil and India favour gradual reform within existing global systems, while Russia and China push for more radical detachment from Western institutions.<\/p>\n
Beyond institutional reform, BRICS has become a political symbol for many developing countries seeking greater representation. Its emphasis on equitable global governance, trade inclusivity, and climate justice resonates with states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America frustrated with Western-dominated financial systems.<\/p>\n
However, the bloc\u2019s effectiveness as a collective negotiating platform remains uncertain. While it champions \u201cGlobal South solidarity,\u201d its members\u2019 trade patterns and investment flows remain heavily dependent on Western markets and technologies. This dependence limits the bloc\u2019s ability to act independently in the global economic arena.<\/p>\n
Still, there have been modest diplomatic dividends. The Iran\u2013UAE bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 2024 summit marked a rare thaw in regional tensions, illustrating BRICS\u2019 potential as a mediating platform for intra-South disputes.<\/p>\n
As the extraordinary virtual summit concluded, leaders reaffirmed their shared vision of multilateralism, free trade, and inclusivity. Yet the fundamental question persists: can BRICS convert its rhetoric of multipolarity into real influence?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The extraordinary virtual summit of BRICS, convened on 8 September 2025 under Brazil\u2019s rotating presidency, offered…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[7970,2747,7972,7969,314,7971,5727,5108],"class_list":["post-79376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","tag-blocs","tag-brics","tag-inequalities","tag-multipolar","tag-power","tag-structural","tag-survive","tag-vision"],"yoast_head":"\n
Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities? - Gulf Times | News by the minute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gulf News| UAE's Largest News aggregator site\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gulf Times | News by the minute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-26T16:03:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"790\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"474\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities? - Gulf Times | News by the minute","description":"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities?","og_description":"Gulf News| UAE's Largest News aggregator site","og_url":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/","og_site_name":"Gulf Times | News by the minute","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786","article_published_time":"2025-10-26T16:03:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":790,"height":474,"url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"gulftimes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Gulftimesuae","twitter_site":"@Gulftimesuae","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"gulftimes","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=79376"},"author":{"name":"gulftimes","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/person\/4c5b0f90aae48bb43165ee6e39ddc977"},"headline":"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities?","datePublished":"2025-10-26T16:03:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=79376"},"wordCount":1216,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg","keywords":["Blocs","BRICS","Inequalities","Multipolar","power","Structural","survive","vision"],"articleSection":["Asia"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=79376","url":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/","name":"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities? - Gulf Times | News by the minute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-26T16:03:00+00:00","description":"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BRICS.jpg","width":790,"height":474},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/can-brics-multipolar-vision-survive-the-blocs-structural-power-inequalities\/2025\/10\/26\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can BRICS\u2019 Multipolar Vision Survive the Bloc\u2019s Structural Power Inequalities?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/","name":"Gulf Times | News by the minute","description":"Largest News Aggregator in the Gulf","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Gulf News Aggregator","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization","name":"Gulf Times","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gulf Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786","https:\/\/x.com\/Gulftimesuae"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/person\/4c5b0f90aae48bb43165ee6e39ddc977","name":"gulftimes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"gulftimes"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/gulftimes.ae"],"url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}