this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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Why? They have slow-walked (and to am extent, reversed) dedollarization and excluded countries like Cuba, indicating a lack of commitment to multipolar ties (it indicates the opposite trend - pro-imperialist concerns). It is a truly barebones "this is purely for our own trade interests" show at this point and has done very little compared to its founding statements and theory. What positive progress has it made in the last 4-5 years?
It's important to compare the material base to the theory and see how it is measuring up. One can't build expectations too much from the theory, only the concrete actions can provide hope and analysis.
Are you seriously expecting BRICS to come out and say "fuck America, we're de-dollarizing!" That would be fucking ridiculous, as much as I wish sometimes that would happen.
BRICS was also first theorized as primarily a trade/development bloc, but China is steering it into a vehicle for a new vision of the world, which is fervently anti-imperialist, and BRICS has allowed dozens of countries to dodge sanctions and get resources they would otherwise be locked out of.
BRICS collectively increases the GDP of all participating countries by multiple billions of dollars, and allows trade and exchange to occur faster and more effectively than anything the imperialists would allow.
To question if it's progressing at all, is fucking nuts.
Your comment doesn't really address most things I said and appears agitated. Please consider whether that comment is fair and comradely.
No and I didn't say or imply that. You are exaggerating, really straw manning, what I sais. Though in BRICS' founding statements, they absolutely did prioritize holding each others' reserve currencies, which is of course the beginning of dedollarization. And most of their founding statements are a direct response to US / OECD domination of finance, trade, and international relations in general, calling for instead following international law and using the UN democratically.
By some crackers that didn't actually found BRICS, sure. As actually envisioned via summits and documents it is not only economic, it also extends to cooperation on law enforcement, climate change, multipolar diplomacy, respect for sovereignty, etc etc. The economic is of course the driving force behind any of those things.
How so? What has BRICS done in the last 4-5 years, as I asked and received no answer?
BRICS is not fervently anti-imperialist by a long shot. It could become functionally anti-imperialist by way of forwarding multipolarity, but only with discipline.
BRICS itself, as an organization or strategy, can't take much credit for that. Causation here is reversed. BRICS and multipolarity and fueled by imperialist sanctions regimes and dollar hegemony. Direct trade in each others' currencies, for example, is a consequence of their own previous economic development and the sanctions regime itself, not the institution of BRICS.
GDP is a magical quantity that tends to mean different things for different countries. China's real estate bubble drove up GDP but was actually an economic drag, for example. Actual mutual development would be something to look for, and one would need to tie it to BRICS. I am not sure what you are referring to when you say BRICS itself increases GDP, anyways.
BRICS operates more like a parallel G20. It is a diplomatic vehicle and pulls on the same types of levers as international capitalism, but from the perspective of global majority states. Think tanks, lending bodies, friendly vision statement versions of cooperation agreements. The language is like you'll find from World Bank ghouls but from the (correct) perspective that it is unfair to the global south.
I am not sure what you mean by this. Are you using BRICS as a stand-in for all direct trade agreements made between its members / other global south countries? That is of course a good development but again I think causation here is reversed.
I didn't do that. And please do your best to avoid ableist language.
Wish granted!
https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/01/17/brazil-announces-cuba-bolivia-and-seven-other-countries-as-new-members-of-brics/
Cuba is in the "partner state" category, not a full member state, for which it has been applying. The category was created about 2 months before this. The partner state category furnishes very few benefits. It is basically being a "candidate" allegedly in the running, like being in a later stage of an interview.
Edit: I should note that Brazil fairly publicly blocked Venezuela from becoming a member of any kind in just the last year, citing their elections, i.e. the most lib PR possible.
I think Brazil is currently an anchor pulling BRICS down. While most BRICS countries seek sovereignty by getting as far from US dependency as possible, even though not necessarily harboring anti-imperialist takes, Brazil is selling even more of its industry to other global powers, even defunding is military industry (Avibras and Embraer) and depending more on US and Israeli tech.
Ah, you're right, unfortunately. They are only a Partner State. Hopefully they do get added as a full member soon, along with Vietnam.
That was super fucked of Brazil though, I remember.
Yes, I'm still optimistic for BRICS and want to see it succeed with more members! It would be great to establish stronger lines of trade, hopefully leading to US embargo-proof shipping routes.