Putin used the Summit in Kazan as his performance to show that Russia and he are not isolated

The BRICS leaders meeting in Kazan was ambitious. With a lot of cameras, photos and media attention, the Kazan Declaration was adopted, their key ideas proclaimed; the formation of a new world order / the birth of a multipolar world and the overthrow of the dollar from the global currency throne / as if all this was not an extremely huge, demanding change that would require creation of a new compact international monetary system not yet existing among these countries. Even the EU, initially formed as the European Coal and Steel Community, only got a common currency (the euro) after 40 years of existence. However, bravely and enthusiastically in Kazan, BRICS symbolically presented a new currency notes to show their striving towards “de-dollarization”.

To understand what BRICS is, what BRICS is not, and what it aspires to be, it is necessary to very carefully and objectively analyze the background of the group that aspires to change the world.

POLITICS AS AN OBSTACLE WITHIN

What are the values BRICS is based on and does it have a clear ideological configuration among the member states?

When it was created, in 2009, it was an alternative to the G7 – the group of the most developed countries in the world. Then the founding countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – came together to establish economic, investment and trade cooperation. The initial name was “BRICK”, coined by Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs. Only a year after, “S” was added, following the accession of the Republic of South Africa (South Africa, abbreviated). In the following period, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined, undoubtedly strengthening the status and strength of this group.

Although BRICS is open to expanding the partnership and invites countries to join, there are already loose value bonds within this alliance, and there are noticeable institutional deficiencies on which this conglomerate should rest. Certainly, his strength will show over time

How and when did BRICS grow from an economic grouping into a bloc with serious political aspirations? When the Russia and China, in addition to monetary and financial topics, added politics to the table as a topic. This politicization did not impressed India and Brazil, with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out “that we should not create an anti-Western organization”. Brazilian President Lula da Silva agreed with him, saying “we should not express ourselves through the categories of friendly and enemy countries”. These two countries are also against BRICS expansion.

PUTIN WANTED TO SHOW THAT HE IS NOT ISOLATED

Although the public could hear that BRICS is trying to be a counterweight to the EU or NATO, there is no possibility to match these alliances in any way, given that there is no military affinity, nor is there a political consensus. Distance, both geographical, cultural, economic and ideological, is a factor that cannot be ignored in a realistic assessment of the ultimate geo-political reach of this group. However, the importance of BRICS should not be underestimated. It has a share of 37.3 percent of the world’s GDP, and the member states have as much as 46 percent of the global population, as well as a 43 percent share of the world’s oil production. Data from the World Bank show that the BRICS increased its participation in the world economy by almost 10 percentage points, while the G7 lost the same amount during this period.

In addition to monetary and financial issues, Russia and China also added political issues on the table. This politicization does not impress India and Brazil, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly showed with his comment “that we should not create an anti-Western organization”. Brazilian President Lula da Silva agreed with him, saying “we should not express ourselves through the categories of friendly and enemy countries”.

Although most of the BRICS member states have been economically oriented from the very beginning, Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to send a political message as well, using the meeting in Kazan to show that he is not isolated. Like never before, the Russian president used the stage to smile, cheerfully pose and shake hands with as many leaders as possible, trying to “wash away” the image of an exile that followed him since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine (even before). The summit in Kazan is a confirmation that Putin used the opportunity to present himself to the world as an important international host, bearing in mind that due to sanctions, his travels are mostly limited to China, Vietnam, North Korea, and a few other countries. The growing interest of countries in BRICS membership is reason enough for the West to strategically follow the development of this organization and to, on its own initiative, move closer to political and economic cooperation with the “Global South”. This especially applies to countries like Brazil and India, which do not have a pronounced anti-Western orientation.

BRICS AS AN ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVE, NOT A POLITICAL ALLIANCE AGAINST THE WEST

Vladimir Putin is trying to make BRICS a platform for political coordination, but in fact this group does not have mandatory mechanisms for military or political cooperation, unlike NATO and the EU. The Russian president sees BRICS as a chance to possess a potential tool for strengthening resistance to Western influence and for creating a new political order, but it is limited by the reluctance of individual members to openly oppose the West. At the same time, not all member states of this alliance are ready to end cooperation with the West, on the contrary, many essentially depend on ties with the US and the EU. Although BRICS has the potential to support multipolarity and balance Western influence, its role remains more in the economic domain than it is realistic for this organization to grow into a united political bloc against the West.

A RELIC OF BLOCK DIVISIONS

How everything was viewed in Brussels – EU foreign policy and security spokesman Peter Stano expressed in one sentence: “We believe that all the participants of the summit in Kazan will use this event to once again call on Putin to immediately end the war against the Ukrainian people and to adhere to and respect the principles of the UN Charter and international law”. Although BRICS is open to expanding the partnership and invites countries to join, there are already loose value bonds in the alliance, and there are noticeable institutional shortcomings on which this alliance should rest. Certainly, its strength capacity will be shown over time, and as for the efforts to change the world order, multipolarity is already present, but the question is whether this reality is in line with Putin’s and Xi’s ambitions.

Author: IPESE Research Team
Featured image: BRICS Russia