A Bloc at a Crossroads
Going into the August 2023 summit, the BRICS group—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—faced a world fractured by the war in Ukraine and deepening US-China rivalry. The core question was about its future identity. China and Russia, facing Western
sanctions and pressure, saw value in positioning BRICS as an explicitly anti-Western coalition. However, other members like India and Brazil were more cautious, favouring a form of non-alignment and a multipolar world order over choosing sides in a new global contest. The summit's theme was "BRICS and Africa," but the unspoken agenda was defining the bloc's role in this new era.
Expansion: A Bigger, More Complicated Family
The summit's most significant outcome was the decision to invite six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, with membership to begin in January 2024. (Argentina later declined the invitation). This expansion was championed by China as a way to bolster the influence of the Global South. The inclusion of Iran, a state openly hostile to the US, certainly added weight to the anti-Western argument. However, the simultaneous inclusion of traditional US partners like the UAE and Saudi Arabia complicated this narrative, suggesting the group was becoming more of a 'non-Western' gathering than a purely 'anti-Western' one. This diversity of interests could make the bloc more influential but also more fractious.
The De-Dollarisation Debate
A key topic was 'de-dollarisation'—reducing the world's dependence on the US dollar for trade and finance. This has long been a goal for Russia and China, who are most vulnerable to American financial sanctions. Leaders discussed promoting the use of local currencies in trade between member states. The New Development Bank (NDB), the bloc's alternative to the World Bank, also plans to increase lending in local currencies. However, the much-hyped idea of a common BRICS currency was not formally endorsed and remains a distant, idealistic goal due to the vast economic differences between members. The final Johannesburg II Declaration simply tasked finance ministers with studying the issue further.
India’s Crucial Balancing Act
For India, the summit was a delicate diplomatic dance. As a member of both BRICS and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) with the US, Japan, and Australia, New Delhi is determined to maintain its strategic autonomy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials pushed back against the idea of turning BRICS into a purely ideological, anti-Western bloc. India’s vision is for a multipolar world where it is a leading power, not a follower in a coalition led by China. By supporting the inclusion of new members with which it has strong individual ties, like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, India sought to balance China's influence and ensure the group remained a platform for the interests of the broader Global South, rather than a vehicle for a single nation's agenda.
The Verdict: More 'Alter-West' than Anti-West
Ultimately, the 2023 summit showed that the forces pushing for a direct anti-Western confrontation did not win out. While the rhetoric from Russia and China was pointed, the final declaration and the diverse group of new members reflect a more nuanced reality. The bloc is united in its desire to reform global institutions like the UN Security Council and give a greater voice to developing nations. It is building an alternative space for dialogue and finance that bypasses Western-led systems. One analyst described the outcome not as 'anti-West', but 'alter-West'—a parallel system where members are still free to maintain their ties with the United States and Europe. The common ground is a rejection of unilateral sanctions and the right of any single power to dictate global rules.
