As leaders of the China-led group of emerging-market economies known as the BRICS descend on Rio de Janeiro for their summit starting Sunday, expect the usual coterie of talking heads offering prepared remarks to the media with the city’s iconic Sugarloaf mountain serving as a picturesque backdrop. And yet, behind the diplomatic niceties and pledges of cooperation lies an uncomfortable truth for Brazil, which is that the value of belonging to this incoherent club that also consists of Russia, India and South Africa is rapidly diminishing.
Since its founding in 2009, the bloc has presented itself as an alternative to the postwar global order shaped by the US and its developed-nation allies. Instead of a system based on liberal democratic values, the BRICS promote an alternative view that favors multipolar engagement and leveling the playing field for developing nations. The idea has caught on, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates becoming members.
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